


Whumptober 2019

by Dabberdees



Series: Whumptober [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, One shots but not because they reference each other, River is in one chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-27 21:51:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 45,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20955476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dabberdees/pseuds/Dabberdees
Summary: A series of fics set to the prompts for Whump-Tober on Tumblr.Angst, Hurt/Comfort mainly.





	1. Shaky Hands

**Author's Note:**

> Each title to the chapter will be what the chapter is about.

It’s not the light-headedness or the jelly legs that makes Graham realise; it’s the uncontrolled shaking of the hands and the urge to sit down and perhaps collapse that cottons him on to the fact that he has low blood-sugar and nothing to counter it with. Not a chocolate bar, or a pack of fruit pastels, not even a drink.

He kicks himself for being so stupid, if he just remembered to grab something before heading out of the TARDIS or to pack something when the Doctor came to pick them all up then he currently wouldn’t be lagging behind his friends and family, pulling them into danger because they have to keep making sure he’s following behind them.

Now, they didn’t necessarily laugh at him before, but the comments about him always packing food, asking when they might get something to eat, or the look he received in Norway made it so he rarely talks about it now, which is why he’s annoyed at himself for forgetting on the one day they needed him to remember. You live with low blood sugar, how can you forget to bring stuff to combat it? He chides himself as he tries to rush after his friends and family.

But try as he might to keep up with the younger, well in Ryan and Yaz’s case anyway, people in front of him, he can’t. Breath is coming hard, there’s a pain growing in his side, his vision is blurring, and it’s hard to focus. All bad by themselves, but combined together? It’s a recipe for disaster that comes quickly in the missed log that everyone else spotted and managed to get over that is Graham’s undoing as his right leg catches it, sending him hard against the damp forest floor wrist first.

There’s an instant pain in his left wrist from his innate reaction to try to soften the fall at least. He groans, hands still shaking and legs giving up completely now as he rolls onto his back to gaze up at the dark sky above him. Stars are shining in the distance, but it’s blurring, and he can’t really focus on them.

Graham rests his head back on the wet ground, the coldness of it seeping into his clothes and making him feel more rotten than he already does. At least by lying down, he doesn’t feel like he’s about to throw up, but that doesn’t stop the ache in his shin and wrist or the rapid beating of his heart — the tingling in his limbs that reminds him of his chemo days.

The rational part of his mind is telling him to calm down, but he can’t, his head hurts, and breathing hurts. Everything is-

“Graham!” A voice says from above him, slightly out of breath, but still sounding like she could run a marathon if she had to. “Up you get, it’s not far to the TARDIS, come on-” Graham feels a pair of hands on his left arm, but they quickly move to his right instead. “You look like you might’ve broken your wrist,” He tries to focus on the voice and her face swimming in his vision. It takes a while for him to figure out that it’s the Doc that has her hands on his arm. “A little help wouldn’t go amiss, Graham-”

“Doctor,” Another voice says. “Stop.” And then Yaz’s face is peering down at him. “He’s pale,” She points out, and then there is another hand on him. Yaz’s face creases in thought, that much he can spot in his blurry vision. “Ryan,” Yaz calls out as she looks up and another pair of feet make their way over to him, the owner of them panting and out of breath like he’s just ran back, losing all the progress he made on the way back to the TARDIS. “Did Graham eat anything before we left today?”

“What?” Ryan blurts out, and Graham spots the lad resting his hands on his knees and sucking in lungfuls of air.

“Did he eat anything?” Yaz asks again. “Anything at all?”

“No,” Graham answers for Ryan. “I forgot.”

Yaz blows out air harshly through her mouth. “He’s got low blood-sugar, guys,” Yaz says, looking worried as she turns to look at Ryan and the Doctor. “Have either of you got anything sugary? Because we need to get it into him, drinkable is better because he doesn’t have to put much effort into eating it.”

Graham hears a bunch of rifling through pockets, things thumping against the forest floor and then a no from Ryan and a stack of something from the Doctor gets thrust into his line of vision.

“Will these do?” The Doctor asks.

“You carry sugar cubes on you?” Ryan wonders as Yaz takes the cubes from the Doctor.

“My previous self liked them,” The Doctor replies once she hands the cubes over. She looks back at Yaz again and smiles. “Brilliant job, Yaz, by the way. How did you know?”

“I’m a first-aider,” Yaz reveals. “Trained at the station, you never know when it might come in handy on the job.” She informs them as she looks around the clearing that they’re in.

Graham watches her. Vision and awareness are becoming clearer the longer he lies against the mossy ground. He’s not running now, but he still feels lightheaded, legs still feel like he’s trying to wade through water and his hands, ignoring the constant throbbing of pain in his left wrist, are still shaking.

He frowns when she gets up and heads away from him, only to come back with a weird-looking plant. “This has water in it, Doctor, will it be dangerous if he drinks it?”

Graham flicks his eyes to the Doctor and watches as she pulls out her sonic to scan it. His attention from that gets brought to Ryan looking down at him in worry. “How are you feeling, gramps?”

“Felt better,” Graham murmurs in response, not really wanting to talk if he’s honest, not with his head spinning anyway.

The buzzing of the sonic ceases above him. “It should be fine,” The Doctor says, face scrunching in thought. “It’s just rainwater.”

“Good enough,” Yaz says. She breaks the sugar cubes up and drops them into the water, mixing it each time she does it until she’s satisfied that it’s dissolved enough. “Drink this, Graham.”

“Help me up then,” Graham mutters. He feels two pair of hands pulling him upwards, and his head spins from the motion. Yaz brings the plant to his mouth and as much as the idea of drinking something with how his stomach is feeling sounds like a terrible idea, he does what Yaz has suggested doing. He doesn’t magically feel great like it’s suddenly all better the moment he drinks it, not that he or he guesses Yaz would expect him to do, but at least he has sugar in his system now. That’s a bonus.

But that still means they have to rush back to the TARDIS judging by the sound of the little creatures chasing after them, they're getting closer. First the turtles, now these little squirrel looking monsters. Plus side is that even though they're just as deadly, they still are the same size as the ones back home. He sighs, still feeling dizzy as he looks up to the Doctor and Ryan. “Probably gonna need help back to the TARDIS.”

They both nod at him and pull him to his feet, he wobbles briefly, but thankfully manages to stay upright. The trip back to the TARDIS is long, the sound of the squirrels are getting closer, and Graham is now thoroughly tired and feeling embarrassed for needing the help back.

They all make it back to the TARDIS just in time, the door closing on the army of squirrels behind them and all Graham wants to do is lie down and have a nap, but that’s out of the question with his wrist aching. Something that the Doctor is keen to treat now.

He’s lead from the console room and towards the medical bay. Yaz darted off somewhere along the way, something about getting some stuff for him, but he tuned out their conversation while he focused on putting one foot in front of the other until he was in one of the beds feeling better, minus the wrist of course. Seems the sugar-water he drunk is finally kicking in because the headache is lessening and his legs are easier to move now. He just wishes his hands would stop shaking, each unwanted movement in his left hand jolting the wrist.

And Ryan is hovering next to him like a cat waiting to be fed in the morning, constant and annoying. It’s enough to make Graham’s sour mood worsen, but he doesn’t take it out on the lad because he knows he’s just worried.

And it’s not Ryan’s fault that he fell over, or the Doctor, or Yaz’s, it’s his for being stupid and forgetting something so simple, something that he knows he has to remember. He winces and glares at the Doctor when the healing cream she’s rubbing onto his wrist hurts, but soon enough that fades as well to a dull throb.

Still, he’s in an awful mood. One that carries on even when Yaz enters the medical bay with a tray of sugary biscuits and a four steaming cups of tea.

“I got the selection tin from the kitchen,” Yaz says, placing the tray down. “I know you don’t like sugar in your tea, Graham, but you still need it.”

He mumbles a thanks and accepts the tea with his right hand. There is an uncomfortable silence in the room while everyone drinks their tea, their eyes flicking to Graham and watching him like he’s going to fall over again, or break another wrist or whatever. It’s frustrating, and he just wants to lock himself in his room now.

Graham pulls the tea away from his mouth and stares at each one of them individually. “It was my fault.”

The Doctor gives him a puzzled look. “What was?”

Graham looks down and into his lap. “Back then, in the clearing, it was my fault.”

“Why?” The Doctor wonders. “Could’ve happened to any of us-”

“No,” Graham says. “I forgot to eat in the morning, something so simple and something that I do every day and I forgot,” He explains. “And then I forgot to pack something; it’s only when we started running back that I realised and by then it was too late.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because-” Graham flicks his eyes between them all. “Because I slow you down.” He spots all three of them about to open their mouths at the same time. “No, listen,” He says, beating them to it. “We’re lucky that it was just a bunch of angry squirrels, what if it was something worse? Something that was a lot faster, you lot would’ve had to come back for me cause I was stupid and-”

“No,” The Doctor says, voice causing Graham to shut up. “Don’t call yourself stupid, Graham,”

Ryan nods with her as she says this. He reaches a hand out to his grandad. “Everyone forgets stuff.” He smiles. “The amount of times I have to come back to the house cause I forgot to take something needed with me is amazing.”

“And when I go shopping for one item,” Yaz chimes in. “Only to leave the shop with a bunch of other items and not the one I needed.” She smiles. “My mum still goes on about the bread I was meant to pick up to this day.”

The Doctor looks at Ryan and Yaz, smiling at them and then she looks back at Graham. “We’ll make a rule from this point onwards,” She says. “And that will be for all of us to carry something for you Graham if you forget again.”

“Deffo,” Ryan says as he looks back at his grandad.

“Have you got one of those kits, Graham?” Yaz questions. “The ones that diabetics carry around on them to check their blood sugar?” Graham shakes his head. “We’ll write that down then and put it on the fridge.”

Graham watches them all again, and it’s a chore to keep his eyes open. “Fine,” He says. “But you lot don’t get to look at me or make comments about me wanting to eat now.” At the mention of that, each one of them nods their heads, accepting his terms. “Well if that’s sorted-” He gets up, still feeling groggy, but pretty sure that he’ll be able to make it back to his room without help. “I’m going to have a nap; lord knows I deserve it.” He says.

They allow him to make his way to the door, which he does, only to stop at the frame as he turns back to look at the Doctor. “No more killer critters please, Doc, the turtles were enough, didn’t need to add squirrels on top of it.”

There is a shout at his back, but he ignores them and proceeds to head towards his room for a well-deserved nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is....
> 
> 'Explosion'
> 
> My Tumblr is: braddersbangerz


	2. Explosion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little bit bloody.

White light. That’s all she saw before it felt like she was floating, the floor being ripped from under her booted feet. Then came the pinpricks, quickly turning intense and stabbing when the supercharged air struck her full force. Like regeneration, but she’s not regenerating. Is she?

No, if she were, then she’d be feeling a lot different. Which means that whatever that was was something else. Something terrible to make her feel all that and that's concerning.

The Doctor blinks her eyes a few time, giving up when it's hard to see anything. She tries to get up instead after finally being reacquainted with solid ground, the impact of it hurt, but it’s hard, and her body feels like it’s twisting from the inside. Like the sonic mine, but worst. Her ears ring, but over the ringing in them she can hear the muffled shouts and crashes coming from everywhere and anywhere at once. She blinks again, the hellish white in her eyes fading slowly and she almost wishes it stayed for longer when she sees the pandemonium flying around her. People are yelling, cradling, and crying for help.

Debris and red surround her, coats her skin and clothes, stains them and gets stuck in the back of her throat. Charred air and the smell of a barbeque hits her, almost causing her to gag on it because she's smelt that before and it's something you never forget. She looks down to her hands and finds them singed and pink. It takes a moment longer before she remembers what actually brought her to this spot in hell.

And when she does, she climbs to her feet and staggers, burnt hand grabbing onto the nearest object still standing to support her weight. She ignores the wave of pain from her right hand; it’s not important. Not when she remembers the explosion. The sound, the flash, ripping through a tiny square and-

Her head darts around the place, frantic eyes trying to find a face she might recognise when she recalls that she was with her Fam, but she can’t spot anyone when she realises that everyone looks the same. Skin pasted with a sheet of dust, concrete mixed with whatever was near. Glass, soot, smoke, and blood it seems. She turns to clothes instead, eager to see if that will help.

But it’s hard, and her head hurts, and people are brushing past her without care, screaming for friends or family. Something she should be doing to find her family. Any other time she would help them, but she doesn’t know them, and she; she doesn’t care at this moment, not when her family are missing from her. Which means when she spots the dark leather jacket and what used to be blue jeans, turned grey from the soot covering him, she breathes out a breath she never knew she was holding as she rushes to him. Her legs scream at her from the sudden movement.

“Graham!” The Doctor shouts over the chorus of chaos. He turns, not quickly she notices, his left arm held around his torso, the leather of his jacket burnt away revealing the charred flesh underneath, and there is a worrying amount of blood on his face coming from a gruesome cut.

Graham stares at her, eyes distant and unfocused. “Doc?” He grunts out, but he doesn’t approach her. She’s not sure he can judging by the way he's holding his leg off the ground.

“It’s me,” The Doctor says as she makes her way over to him, impossibly slow, but gets there she does. They don’t hug. “You’re hurt.”

Graham simply carries on watching her, like the statement doesn't register in his head before he turns around again and starts to dig one-handed through the debris, face twisting in pain each time his hand hits the rubble. She flicks her eyes to it, spotting the same pink coloured flesh hidden under the dust. It's burnt like hers.

She hobbles closer to him with a wince. "Graham?"

"_Gotta get them out_," He replies.

She hears Graham continue to mutter the mantra-like sentence under his breath. Gotta get them out. Gotta get them out. Gotta get them- _Ryan and Yaz_. Where are Ryan and Yaz? And why is Graham trying to move a mountain of rubble with his hand?

The Doctor's eyes widen, the tight, taut flesh around them pulling painfully but she ignores it when she figures it out.

She's found where Ryan and Yaz are, and she hopes she's wrong, and that Graham is simply muddled. The Doctor reaches a hand out to Graham, the moment her hand touches his arm, he flinches, eyes wide and fearful. “Where were they?” She asks him.

Graham blinks at her. The confusion is apparent on his face. It's like his brain is seeing her again for the first time. “I don’t-” His eyes dart to the rubble again. “They were in there.” His eyes close for a split second. "I think."

“Are you sure?” The Doctor asks, she needs to know for sure. He shrugs at her and turns back to the rubble again. “Graham, please, I need to know.”

Graham looks back at her, and his face is blank. Shock. And she can’t help the snort that escapes from her. Of course, he’s lucky in a way because he's only be caught in a direct explosion like that once, but she’s been blown up. She’s been in the epicentre of an explosion before. It's not the first; it won't be the last for her. It’s numb now; it’s compartmentalised in her head. Something to think about later on when people aren’t dying around them and when she doesn’t have to show that side of her to her new friends.

But none of that is now, not when Ryan and Yaz could be dying.

“Graham, I need you to listen to me-” She speaks, voice coming out strong despite her growing anxiety. “-where did you see Ryan and Yaz last exactly?” This time there is a flash of something on his face like he’s trying to figure out the words spoken to him. “Come on, Graham, it's important.”

Graham closes his eyes, adrenaline clearly fading now as his shoulders droop and his legs wobble and then she catches him when he stumbles. The dust on his ruined jacket coats her pink, stinging hands, but she doesn’t care as she leads him to sit down on the floor.

“They went-” Graham murmurs. “_I don’t know._” He mumbles. "I don't- I don't know."

She’s not going to get anything out of him and pushing won’t help, not when he’s clearly injured and entirely out of it. The Doctor looks up, eyes darting around the square. The devastation is outstanding, an hour ago it was a festival, and now it’s destroyed. Like a war zone her brain says. Her eyes linger on the less fortunate, but they can’t be helped now.

No, what she needs is to find someone to take Graham away, get him the help he needs while she searches for Ryan and Yaz. She spots a crew, multiple ones heading into the disorganised crowd rushing around and she shouts and waves, trying anything to get their attention. The effort hurts, but she's successful when two of the groups spot her frantic and painful waving, but it got their attention. Graham is in safe hands now.

Which means she can leave. She steps back and watches for a second before turning and heading away. They’ll only try to get her into a back of an ambulance if she stays by his side and she can’t have that. She’ll catch up with Graham once Ryan and Yaz have been found, once they’re safe and sound.

That she promises because she won't lose them.

And it's the force that drives her forward while pain grows within her, arms becoming heavy and legs dragging as she makes her way through what looks to be a battlefield. Is it a battlefield? She doesn’t know; she also doesn’t know how long she’s been walking around in what feels like circles — eyes staring at the living and hands turning over the dead. Each one a relief, but also a sadness. It's senseless and indiscriminate.

She wonders through the wreckage without a plan. If Graham is right and they’re under the remains of the building then- no, she doesn’t want to think about that. They’re alive; they have to be because she doesn’t know what she’ll do if they aren’t.

But she aches, eyes shutting and taking longer to open, hands gripping onto whatever they can. Anything so she can hold her weight up while she searches, but it’s too much, and she stumbles. Knees hit the rough ground hard, sending shockwaves through her exhausted body.

She just has to keep looking, that’s all-

The last thing she remember’s before darkness overtakes her vision is a couple of people rushing towards her. Their shadows familiar to her tired mind.

* * *

“You think she’s gonna wake up today?” A voice asks from the side of her. It’s youthful and northern. “They said she was exhausted, but she hardly sleeps and she's been out for a while now.”

“I’m not sure, Ryan,” Another voice replies, and this one sparks warmth in her chest. She recognises it, even if she can't place it in her half-conscious state. “But she’s strong, and she'll pull through.”

“Damn right she is,” The first says, and it’s slotting into place. The second voice called him Ryan, which means the first is-

The Doctor’s eyes flutter open. The first thing she sees is whiteness, and for a moment she wonders if she’s simply reliving her day because they started the same. White light burning like a light in her eyes. It’s only when she hears a gasp to the side of her that she realises that it isn’t that.

“Doctor,” Yaz exclaims, voice filled with relief. “We were so worried about you.”

The Doctor turns to look at Yaz’s face, and she sees that she’s clean with patches of bandages on her hands and body. Her eyes are dark like she hasn’t slept in a while. “Yaz-” She says. “I thought I lost you-” She reveals, and then she turns to Ryan and sees that he’s in a state as Yaz is. “Both of you.”

“Yeah, mate, same,” Ryan says. “We thought we lost you and gramps, but we found him getting loaded into a vehicle.”

“How is he?” The Doctor asks, mind still groggy, but at least it’s coming back to her.

“He’s hardy like you are,” Ryan informs her. “The side of the square that you two were on took the brunt of the-” He trails off. “It doesn’t matter really; all that matters is that you’re safe.” He says with rare emotion, voice hitching towards the end. “If it’s all the same to you two I’m going to go and tell him that you’re awake, Doctor, cause he’s been asking about you.”

“He has?” The Doctor says with humour, or she tries to at least.

Ryan only smirks back; the expression ghosting his young face. “You know he has.” He gives a nod to Yaz and her and then makes his exit.

The Doctor stares after him for a brief second before turning to look back at Yaz. She reaches out a hand to her, eyes catching the little clip on her finger, but she disregards that and focuses on the younger woman’s face. “Are you alright?”

“We’re getting there,” Yaz explains. “We tried looking for the both of you, but it was chaos down there, Doctor.” She reveals, voice sounding hollow. “The devastation caused- I never thought I’d ever be in a situation like that.”

“You shouldn’t have been, Yaz,” The Doctor says. “I’m sorry for bringing you into it,” Her brows crease. “And that goes to Ryan and Graham as well.”

Yaz reaches a bandaged hand out to the Doctor’s equally covered hand, and she clasps it. “You didn’t know, Doctor,” She says. “We don’t blame you and-” The Doctor watches as she swallows. “We’re alive. All of us are.”

There is an unspoken sentence between the pair of them. We’re alive, but so many died.

The Doctor squeezes Yaz’s hand, in comfort or something else, she doesn’t know. She just needs to know that she’s alive and well.

And she is, so are Ryan and Graham as well. That's all she can be thankful for at the moment. She hasn't lost again this time, but would she lose in the future? That's something she's not sure about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is....
> 
> Delirium.


	3. Delirium, or is it Darillium?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sike
> 
> it's Darillium.

The Doctor makes her way around the console, flicking switches and pressing buttons as she goes. It's half-hearted at best, but it's time for them to leave the Time Vortex. She can't hide here, but she also wants to keep them safe. If she could she'd wrap them in cotton wool, make it so no one or anything could ever hurt them again.

Her Fam.

They’re healing, and that’s good, she supposes, but they shouldn’t have been hurt like that, she should’ve checked the date. She just wanted them all to see the Festival of the Four Winds, beautiful and majestic and safe, usually, but she never thought to run the date through the TARDIS, and of course, the old girl had to land on the one day it wasn't-

There is a gentle wheezing coming from the ship. It sounds sad and mournful and her friends, they might not be able to hear her ship singing, but she can. The Doctor reaches out a hand to the console, she doesn’t blame her. She never could blame her Ghost Monument.

She takes a deep breath when she hears the sound of her friends making their way to the console room, their quiet conversation about a TV show or film; she’s not sure, is welcoming. At least they no longer jump at the sound of something loud. Like the time something slipped from the console to then clang against the floor. Yaz flinched, Graham swore, and Ryan froze. She did none of that. It's numb to her, but not to them.

The Doctor looks up, fake smile plastered across her face at the sight of them entering the console room. The bandages have been removed from Yaz and Ryan, and mostly from Graham. He still has the faint mark above his eye, and she knows his arm, although he keeps it hidden from her when he caught her staring at it, is getting there.

But they are marked now. From small cuts to burns. At least they’re walking around, at least they’re whole, unlike so many others who aren't. They could’ve had life-changing injuries, but they didn’t, and she’s thankful for that, but the thought stays with her. Graham's ankle, it was sprained, but it could've been torn away from him. Yaz's arm, the worst of her injuries. She could've lost the ability to move it; her life changed forever because she took them there on that fateful day. The same applies to Ryan, and it's just too much to-

“What’s the plan for today, Doctor?” Yaz asks, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Something nice,” The Doctor says, or she hopes anyway. She's due nice. “Are you all ready to go?” They all nod, signalling that they are, but she’s nervous, and her hand hovers near the lever. “Sure?”

Graham glances between them, eyes locking against his grandson’s and Yaz’s before he sucks in a breath and steps forward. His limp has faded now, but it still existed. “Doc, you know we don’t blame you, right?” She nods, and she hears him sigh. “Cause it don’t seem like you believe that.”

Ryan and Yaz step forward with him, and she soon finds herself surrounded by them. They don’t hug her, but they do place their hands on hers in a mirror-like move from before.

There is a shared moment between them all. They haven’t been back to Sheffield since the explosion. Too many questions would’ve been asked, so she hid them within the Time Vortex, kept them safe. The heat from their hands reminds her that she still hasn’t pulled the lever and so she looks to all of them, seeing them giving her looks of encouragement and faith.

And she knows she doesn’t deserve them and their capacity to forgive. The Doctor looks forward and pulls the lever, sending them through the Time Vortex and, hopefully, to somewhere safe.

And safe it is, she just never wanted to see it again when she realises where she is. She can’t help but wonder why the TARDIS would bring her here. Bring up old, barely healed wounds of the hearts. She goes to program in somewhere else, but her friends are already turning towards the doors and stepping out.

Maybe if she just lets them explore the place, then she won’t have to face it, but Yaz is glancing back at her with a curious look on her face. She looks up and smiles at the younger woman. “Go with Ryan and Graham; I’ll be along in a moment.”

“Are you sure-”

“Positive,” She lies. “It’s safe out there; nothing will harm you-” _But my memories will harm me_, her inner voice says, It sounds male and Scottish. “I’ll be along in a bit.”

“If you’re sure, Doctor,” Yaz says and she hesitates by the door before nodding and turning to follow after her friends. "See you in a bit."

The Doctor nods at her and smiles, it's fake and hiding what she’s feeling as she watches Yaz leave the TARDIS. After a moment she turns and looks at the screen and the planet's name displayed across it. Her throat constricts, and there is wetness on her cheeks.

“Darillium,” She chokes out, hand rising to her face and swiping across her eyes. “Why did you bring me here?”

She doesn't get a response in return.

* * *

Yaz leaves the TARDIS with a slight furrow of the brows. The Doctor is hiding something; usually, she’s the first to bound from the console room, and yes, they have been under a bit of stress lately. What with their last trip out of the TARDIS ending the way it did — all four of them in a hospital so far away from home. New fears and a dislike for films with explosions in them as Ryan and Graham found out when they tried to watch one together. One of Graham's favourites, before he was caught in an explosion himself. The sound ripping through the pair of them and taking them back to that day when they both thought the other dead or buried.

The only reason she knew about that was because she found both of them staring ahead, hands clenched tight and trembling and only relaxing when she reached for the controller, her own hands shaking, to turn it off. They stayed in the cinema room that night, neither one wanting to move or be alone. She doesn't remember if they talked at all; she doesn't think they did.

And they never told the Doctor what happened that night or why they looked tired the following day. She already blamed herself; they weren’t going to let her blame herself for that as well. Yaz sighs and walks forward and towards the sound of Ryan and Graham chatting, but it’s not the only sound drifting through the air. There is an almost melody playing, and she’s pretty sure it isn’t music. It sounds natural, like singing in the shower or the car when you're alone. She approaches her friends, finding them stood against a balcony and looking outwards. They glance at her when she slides in between them.

Yaz follows their gaze and sees two pillars of stone in the distance, hauntingly beautiful and melancholic at the same time.

“The music,” Yaz says. “Any idea where it’s coming from?”

Graham flicks his eyes to her, and he shakes his head. “Haven’t the foggiest, love,” He looks outwards again. “It sounds-”

“Sad?” Yaz suggests, and he nods.

Ryan looks at the pair of them. “It’s not all sad,” He says, and they turn to face him. “It sounds sad, but there is an undercurrent to it-” His brows knit together. “-It’s like it’s alive-”

“In a way it is,” Says a voice from behind them. Strong and feminine. “It’s the Singing Towers of Darillium.” She walks forward, and they all turn to look at the newcomer. “Surely you would know of it if you came here, people normally do.”

Graham sorta shrugs at her, and she turns her gaze to him, brows creasing in thought. In Yaz’s opinion, though, her gaze, it’s calculating, and she spots the narrowing of the stranger's eyes when she looks over the three of them.

“You’re not from here,” The stranger says. “Or should I say you’re not from this time period.”

“How do you know that?” Ryan asks with puzzlement.

The woman smiles at him, and it’s wickedly cheeky. “Spoilers,” She says with a wink. “So, where is he?”

Graham now looks confused. “Who?”

“The man who brought you here, where is he hiding?” She asks. “That’s his ship back there, can't miss the blue of her.” She gestures behind herself before focusing on them all again. “Professor River Song,” She holds her hand out to all of them. “Where is my husband?”

“Husband?” All three ask at the same time.

River rolls her eyes at them. “Travels in the TARDIS.” She says, and each of them stare at one another in total confusion. “Come on, you three; you’re clearly his companions. If he’s hiding-”

“I’m not hiding.” A voice says, quiet and filled with emotion, and it drags everyone’s attention towards it. River stares at the newcomer, eyes wide. The Doctor stares intently at River, smile light on her face. “Hello, sweetie.”

Yaz, Graham, and Ryan look at one another again before turning to face their Doctor and the woman who calls herself River Song. “Doc, what’s happening?” Graham speaks. "She said husband-"

"Yes, she did." The Doctor says as she watches the scene in front of her, but her eyes are locked on River. “The TARDIS brought me here, River.”

“Your eyes are sad, sweetie.” River whispers, legs taking her forward. “How long has it been?”

“A while,” The Doctor answers as she takes a step towards her, hands shaking. “Where is he?” She asks, already knowing the answer.

River laughs and smiles. “Out,” She replies. “But you would remember that.” She glances behind her, which causes the three humans to fidget under her intense eyes. “Your friends are standing in our spot.”

“They are,” The Doctor smiles, it’s brief and fleeting, but it’s there. She looks at them and sees the puzzlement written across all of their faces. “Yaz, Ryan, Graham,” She speaks, eyes flicking back to River. “This is-”

“My wife.” River finishes for her, eyes darting across the Doctor’s body in evident appreciation. “You look beautiful, sweetie.”

“Wife?” Ryan blurts out, while the Doctor turns red.

River chuckles. “You didn't tell them?” She asks, close to her now. "Why am I not surprised?"

“It’s been a long time for me, River-”

“I bet it has,” River says, her hand coming up and brushing against the Doctor’s face, thumb wiping across the wetness on her wife’s cheek. “Your TARDIS has changed as well.”

Yaz glances between them. “Doctor, you said your family-”

River turns and looks at Yaz, and she shakes her head, cutting her off from speaking. “Spoilers.” She says. She turns and faces the Doctor again. “Why have you come here?”

“The TARDIS-”

“No,” River interjects. “Why have you come, why did she feel the need to bring you here of all places?” She sighs. "And so long after our night here."

The Doctor’s eyes dart to her Fam, causing them to shuffle again when River turns to face them as well. “Our last trip-” She starts, swallowing thickly. “It ended badly.”

“We said it wasn’t your fault.” Graham reminds her, his eyes look to River. “She didn’t listen to us.”

River sighs. “A different face, but still the same man I fell in love with.” She says as she turns around again. “Foolish old man,” Her eyes twinkle suddenly. “Or should I say woman?”

The Doctor smiles at that, and she looks up at her. “I’ve missed you, River.”

“I suspect you have,” River replies, voice tinged with sadness. She takes one of the Doctor’s shaking hands in hers and brings it up. Her eyes catch where the ring should be, but she doesn’t comment on it. “Come on, the old man is out for tonight,” She whispers. “We can talk.”

The Doctor nods, and she looks at her friends, each one of them gives her a slight nod, telling her to go with her wife. They watch her go, just as the sound from around them picks up, the wind blowing strong and carrying the music from the towers.

Graham turns back to the towers first, and Ryan and Yaz quickly follow him, none of them speak. Each one is thinking about what they’ve just learnt about their friend. Oh, they’ll ask questions at some point, but that’s not tonight.

Tonight they'll leave her alone with her wife. If they can’t convince her that she wasn’t to blame for what happened to them, then maybe River can. Or they hope at least as they make their way back to the TARDIS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Human Shield.


	4. Human Shield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so this one was hard

She asked for more. She wanted this, didn't she? Yaz knows she did, but she just never expected to be held up at knifepoint this early in her career. Blade waved towards her in a threatening manner. She steps back when her partner from the station directs her to. Matty is the experienced officer here. 

The man paces in front of her and her partner like an animal, enraged by something or other. Matty, is stood like a shield, blocking her from the suspect wielding the blade.

“Come on, mate,” Matty says, voice calm and hands held out in front of him, showing that he’s not dangerous or at least trying to get that across too him. “Just put the blade down.”

The man shakes his head, gesturing it out to them. “No,” He spits at them. “You lot, you think you can just come round here whenever you want.”

Yaz’s heart is beating fast. “Please, sir,” She starts to say, making the frantic man stare at her. “We can talk, you just have to-”

“Shut up!” He snaps, spittle flying. “Shut the _fuck_ up!”

“Yaz, let me handle it,” Matty says, voice low. “Put the weapon down,” He says, voice unshakable. The man ignores him and stalks towards them, the weapon held in his hand. “Step back-”

Yaz watches the man, eyes locked on the blade as Matty reaches for his radio to call for backup. He’s distracted for a moment, and that’s all it takes for the enraged man to lunge at Yaz, fast and quick, and before she realises what has happened, Matty has pushed her to the ground and away from the man brandishing the bladed weapon towards her. She blinks the surprise away, body in slight shock at being on the ground and then snaps her head to Matty and the man on the floor together, voices yelling at each other, both moving and then stopping quickly. The man shutting up and Matty gasping.

And then they break apart, the man jumping up and running down the path and away, the knife being dropped down the path, coated in red. Yaz goes to get up and give chase, stopping when she hears a cough and wheeze from her colleague. She locks her gaze onto her friend, eyes going wide when she spots the growing blood patch on his white shirt. His hand is pressed against his side, and she sees the liquid running through his it, red and thick.

Matty has been stabbed, her brain informs her in panic. Stabbed between the joining of his vest, the weak point in what should've been their protection. Yaz clicks her radio on and makes the panicked call out-

‘_Officer, stabbed, need assistance urgently._’

She repeats the details, working on auto-pilot as her hands apply pressure to the side of him. “Come on, Matty,” He stares at her, eyes unfocused and skin pale. “Help is coming, hold on.” Yaz pleads with him. “You just need to hold on.”

He nods at her, but she’s not sure he gets it. She closes her eyes, trying to think about what she needs to do in an event like this. Pressure? She’s doing that, but it doesn’t seem to be doing much. Her hands are slick with blood, and Matty is getting paler by the second.

She doesn’t notice the footsteps coming her way, or the hands on her shoulders pulling her from Matty. There is a flash of green, a word in bright yellow on the back of someone and then voices all around her, but her eyes remained locked onto her partner's pale face. Her colleague, currently bleeding out on the ground in front of her because he, because-

The thought settles in her like a stone. He pushed himself in front of her when the man lunged forward, shielded her with his body and got stabbed for it. She stares at him and the people around him, heart in her mouth as he’s taken away from the scene.

Someone is draping something around her shoulders and trying to move her from the area, but she doesn’t want to leave.

“PC Khan,” A voice calls down to her, but she ignores them. “Yaz-”

Yaz looks up then, spotting someone else from the station. “He pushed me out of the way.” She mumbles, hands shaking. “Why would he-”

“Hey,” The voice says. “They need to go over the area, and you need to give a statement-”

Yaz frowns, eyes screwing shut as she nods. “Statement, right-” She stands with the officer holding onto her. “There was a man, late forties-”

“Not here, Yaz,” The officer says in a kind voice as she leads her from the scene. “We’ll talk at the station.”

* * *

That was a few days ago, and she’s been placed on leave since eyes. Her eyes are focused out of the window, and her hands hold a cold tea in her hand. One she nursed for the last few hours.

“Yaz,” Najia says from behind her. Yaz turns to face her, eyes wet with grief. “Come here, love.” Najia reaches forward and takes her daughter into a hug. She doesn’t speak; she just holds onto Yaz while she cries.

“He-” Yaz starts, stopping and swallowing thickly. “He shouldn’t have done that for me.” She speaks, quick and fast and over breaths. “He’s dead because-”

“Shh,” Najia soothes, rocking Yaz gently. When Yaz said about becoming a police officer, it terrified her, chilled her to her bones. Fear and worry that one day she’ll have the police knocking at her door, like the man who saved her daughter’s life did at his. She never knew Yaz’s partner on the job and they were only together for a few months, but Yaz spoke fondly of him. Said he always got her coffee and offered advice about work whenever she asked. He was a man only ten years older than her daughter, now gone because he saved her life at the cost of his own. He shielded her and protected her.

And she owes him everything. As far as Najia is aware they caught the man who did this, a few miles away trying to board a train nonchalantly. Like he didn't care what he did, who he killed or who he hurt. She hears Yaz in the night, crying, and then finds her in the day staring out of the window. The police have been around, asking questions, offering Yaz a counsellor, but it didn't seem enough in her opinion.

Her friends have come round to see how she’s doing, and she still isn’t sure how Ryan and Yaz got back into contact, or how she’s friends with his grandad, something to do with the Doctor, she guesses. They spoke and huddled in the kitchen, but it was just them, never the Doctor.

Najia frowns, surely she would’ve been round by now, but she hasn’t. She pulls away from Yaz and looks down at her. Yaz's eyes are red and tired, older than they should be for her age. Najia goes to speak, stopping when there is an urgent banging at her door.

She glances towards, brows knitted together, and she makes her way towards it. As soon as she opens it, she finds that woman, the Doctor, staring at her with Ryan and Graham behind her. Her face is filled with concern.

“Where is she?” The Doctor asks, not waiting for Najia to reply before she enters and heads into the house.

Najia stares after her, before looking at Ryan and Graham. She steps aside for them, allowing them entry as well. They too make their way into her flat, not speaking while Najia shuts the door and walks towards the entryway to the kitchen, eyes looking over the scene.

The Doctor has Yaz in her arms, mouth moving and talking to her while Ryan and Graham look at her with caring gazes. Najia frowns again, she should probe further, ask again how they all know each other, but she doesn’t, not when she spots her daughter talking to the mysterious woman sitting within her kitchen.

And she spots the small smile on Yaz’s face, something she hasn’t been able to do as of yet, maybe Yaz just needed the right person. Najia watches the four for a moment longer before turning and disappearing further into the flat. She’ll leave them to it, for the time being; their bond is strong and seemingly unshakable in her opinion. If anyone can brighten Yaz up, make her see past her harrowing event for even a moment of time, it’s them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Gunpoint.


	5. Gunpoint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those reading 'you made me a murderer' I've not stopped it and I am working on the next chapter. It's just I've been busy and haven't had chance to get my head into it properly.

Ryan looks at the tall, grey buildings surrounding them. “Are you sure you know the way back to the TARDIS, gramps?” Ryan asks in a dubious tone, he brings his gloved hands to his face and blows on them, hoping that the hot air will somehow manage to get through the fabric. “Cause it’s cold and I want to warm up.” He removes his hands from his face and pulls his beanie down on his head further.

Graham turns, looking reasonably warm in his jacket, scarf and gloves, his face is pink though, and frowns at his grandson. “Oi,” He says, offended. “I’m a bus driver; I know my way around places and things.”

Ryan laughs. “Yeah, maybe so in Sheffield, but this-” He makes a gesture around them in a circle. “Isn’t Sheffield.” His breath fogs up in front of him. “Sheffield never gets this cold, and it doesn't have towering blocks all packed closely together like this.”

“Still, it can’t be too hard, can it?” Graham says, proceeding forward. “Cause you can’t miss the TARDIS, can you? It’s blue, and everything here is grey. It'll- I mean, she'll stand out, won't she?” He says with confidence.

“Seems you can miss her,” Ryan mutters under breath. “Considering we’ve been walking around for ages.”

“I might be old, Ryan, but I ain’t deaf,” Graham says, upfront, he doesn't turn to face Ryan. He stops instead and looks down the different alleyways with a frown. “I’m pretty sure it’s down here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Graham replies, already turning to walk in that direction. "It's not far."

Ryan sighs and follows after his grandad. “Seriously, I could just phone Yaz and say we’re lost-”

“We ain’t lost.”

“We are,” Ryan says. “You just don’t like asking for directions.”

Graham snaps his head to Ryan. "I can ask for directions-"

"Funny," Ryan says with a smirk. "Weren't you the one who didn't want to get out the car and ask-"

“Look,” Graham interrupts with a wave of his hand. “I’m just giving the Doc and Yaz time alone.” He says. “Taking the longer route back and all.”

Ryan furrows his brows at his grandad, clearly puzzled. “What?”

Graham shrugs and avoids his eyes for a second, looking awkward. “I dunno,” He looks up and sighs. “You seen how they are with each other, it’s like we don’t exist.” He says, waving his gloved hands through the air. "It's obvious."

“I have noticed them, it's kinda hard not to, but what has us being lost got to do with Yaz and the Doctor being useless?”

“Useless?” Graham asks with a frown. “They ain’t useless, son, why would you say something like that?” Graham questions, upset. “That isn’t nice; it's rude-”

Ryan brings a hand up the bridge of his nose and rubs at his eyes. “Not in the literal sense of the word, grandad.” He looks through his hand at Graham. “I mean, useless because they can’t see it.”

“Oh,” Graham says, still looking confused, but deciding to move on. “Anyway, we ain't lost like I've been telling ya.”

“We are,” Ryan says again. “We’ve been walking in circles for ages, grandad.” He explains. “All we gotta do is phone Yaz, let her know, then she’ll tell the Doctor, and we can be out of this cold and back in the warmth of the TARDIS.”

“Yeah, and if we do that, the Doc ain’t ever gonna let us outta her sight again, not after how our other trips have ended recently.” Graham counters, looking grim. “Look, we walk a little bit longer, and if we don’t find the TARDIS in the next half an hour, we call them, okay.” He suggests. "Let them have a bit more time together."

Ryan sighs and gestures widely. “Fine,” He says. “But if I get a cold, I’m blaming you.” He says, pointing a gloved finger towards his grandad.

Graham rolls his eyes at his grandson. “You’re young,” He says, walking away again, the frosty show crunching under his feet. “If anyone is gonna get a cold it’ll be me.”

“See,” Ryan says, walking quickly and carefully to catch up with his grandad, lest he slips across the frozen ground. “All the more reason to phone Yaz and be outta here.”

Graham continues onward, the snow picking up around them and the sky getting darker by the second. He frowns and looks up. “Did the Doc say that it gets darker here quicker than on Earth? Cause I swore it was daytime not that long ago.”

“She just said it was cold,” Ryan says, sticking his hands into his jacket pockets. “Wanna phone Yaz now?” Graham looks down at Ryan. “Before we freeze because you’re stubborn.”

"I'm not stubborn-" Ryan gives Graham a deadpan look. “Fine,” Graham says, giving up on finding the TARDIS by himself. “You do it cause I haven’t let the Doc play with my phone, cause I don’t know what I’m gonna get back if I do and I only just got my head around it.”

Ryan nods and fishes out his phone from his pocket. He removes his glove and feels the cold straight away, hitting his hand. He opens up Yaz’s number, and his finger hovers over the make call button-

“Drop the communication device.” A voice cuts through them, harsh and loud. “Do it.” Ryan and Graham turn around, eyes locking against one greyish alien holding a weapon out towards them and another stood next to them. “_Now_.”

“Do it, son,” Graham says, glancing at Ryan and nodding. He looks back at the alien. “We haven’t done anything-”

“I don’t care if you’ve done anything,” The second alien says, interrupting Graham and gesturing with his three-fingered hand. “And my friend said, drop it!” He snaps when he catches that Ryan still hasn’t dropped the phone. “He will shoot you.”

Ryan drops it quickly. “Alright, I’ve dropped it.” He says, foot slyly moving over the snow and covering it, trying to keep it from view. “We’ll do whatever you want us to do.”

“Good,” The first alien says. “Step away from each other.” He waves the gun again while Ryan and Graham share a glance at one another. “I won’t repeat myself.”

“Alright,” Graham speaks, voice sounding strong, but Ryan catches the worried undertone to it. “We’re moving away from each other.”

Ryan watches as his grandad steps off to the side, hands held out, and he can see the fear in his eyes. He grimaces as his eyes dart to the phone on the floor. His grandad doesn’t know that he made the call to Yaz, doesn’t know that by now Yaz should’ve answered it and that help is on its way, he hopes anyway. If he could find a way to signal that to his grandad, he would, but doing anything like that would be risky.

“Have a look what the boy has on him,” The first alien says. “I’ll watch the old one.” His eyes flick to Ryan. “Do anything stupid, and I’ll kill him.”

Ryan rises his hands up. “I’m not going to.”

“Good,” The second alien says, and he makes his way forward. Ryan darts his eyes to the phone on the floor again, hoping that he won’t notice the light shining from the screen through the snow.

He doesn’t spot it, and Ryan sucks in a breath when the second alien in front of him starts to rifle through his pockets, pulling out items and throwing them against the floor in frustration. After a moment, he turns and faces his friend. “He carries nothing on him.”

“They’re well dressed,” The first alien says. “And they’re human; they always are worth stealing from. Keep looking.”

The second alien continues, and Ryan looks over his head, eyes locking against his grandad. He can see that his grandad wants to help, there's a nervous shuffle of his feet. The coldness of the air hits him, and he shivers when his jacket is pulled open. The second alien growls. “I said he has nothing!”

The first alien swears, well they both think he does, it doesn’t get translated by the TARDIS for them. “Search the old man then.” He orders and then turns the weapon to Ryan while looking at Graham. “Same applies to you, do something stupid, and I’ll kill your boy.”

“We understand,” Graham says, eyes flicking to Ryan. “But I don't think we’ll have anything you want; we ain't from around here.”

“That’s what they all say,” The second alien says, coming forward and searching Graham. He does the same to him and then moves onto his inner pockets. His face frowns when he finds nothing of interest as well. “They aren’t carrying anything on them.”

“What do you mean?”

The second alien turns and glances at the first. “Nothing, no credits, no cards that I know off, just-” He turns back to Graham and reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “This thing.”

“Their communication devices?”

The second nods. “But I’ve never seen anything like this before,” He says, turning it over in his hands. “It’s thin, could be worth something.”

“Chuck it here, let me look at it.” The first says and the second throws Graham's phone to the first who catches it one-handed. He looks it over and then snaps his head back to Graham. “How does this work?” His three-fingered hand clicks a button on the side, the light from the screen shows up on his face, illuminating it. He stares at Graham and his friend. “Bring him here; I want him to show me how it works.”

Graham glares at the second alien when he grabs him roughly by his jacket collar and pulls him towards his friend, Ryan goes to move forward, stopping when the gun gets waved at him again. “Don’t move.”

The first alien holds the phone out to Graham. “Make it work.”

Graham takes the phone back and looks down to it. He taps in his pin and holds it back out to the alien. “I’ve unlocked it.”

The first alien snatches it back and looks at it, eyes widening slightly. He glances up. “What does it do?”

“It makes calls and stuff, it’s useless to you-” Graham makes a gesture at the screen. “See, it doesn’t even have a signal; it won't work.”

"If it doesn't work, then why are you carrying it on you?" The first alien narrows his eyes and looks back up at Graham. “You’re lying.” His eyes flick to his friend. “Grab the device the boy dropped.” His friend nods and moves over to Ryan’s phone, bending and picking it up. He shoves it into his pocket and comes back over to his friend. Ryan is thankful that the screen has gone black, the call should still be going through though. He hopes again. The first alien looks between Ryan and Graham, sizing them both up and making a decision. He grabs Graham around the neck and points the gun to his head while he stares at Ryan. “Follow us, and I’ll kill him.”

"Oh, what is it with bleeding aliens and grabbing me-" Graham speaks, shutting up when the first alien tightens his arm around his neck.

Ryan’s eyes widen. “Just take the phones, you don’t have to take him.”

The second alien shakes his head. “We need him to show us how the devices work, and by taking him you won’t send people after us.”

Graham’s heart is hammering in his chest, as his hands pull uselessly at the alien's arm. “It’s fine, son,” Graham says. “I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” The first alien says, pulling Graham back with him. “As long as you don’t do anything stupid.” He says to Ryan, walking further away and then out of sight and into the dark night of this world. The second alien pauses before turning and chasing after his friend.

Ryan stares after the space where his grandad was taken, legs taking him forward and towards the alleyway, they went down, but he sees nothing through the darkness. His breath hitches, and he feels a wetness on his face chilling rapidly in the freezing air. His phone is gone, he has no idea where the TARDIS is, and his grandad is in-

“Ryan!”

Ryan spins and faces the very welcomed sight of Yaz, stood with her phone to her ear. “We heard everything through the phone and came as fast as we could.” She breathes. "Wait, where is-"

The Doctor comes up behind her, sonic raised in the air. “The signal is moving-” She says, looking down at the sonic in her hands. “Why is it moving?” She says, looking up and at Ryan, brows creasing together and spotting what Yaz noticed. “Ryan, where is Graham?”

“They’ve taken him-” Ryan blurts out, turning sharply to point down an alleyway. “-They took our phones with them.” He looks back. "They said they needed him to show them how they worked."

The Doctor stares at him for a moment, before spinning and taking Yaz’s phone off her. She aims the sonic at it. “I can still track it if I'm clever,” She says, quickly. “We’ll still be able to find where they’ve taken him as long as the phonecall stays on.”

“You can’t, Doctor,” Ryan says, voice shaking with worry. “They said they would kill him if I send anyone after him.”

“Well, we can’t leave him there,” Yaz points out. “And what’s saying they’re going to stay true to their word?”

The Doctor pulls her sonic away and stares at it. “I have his location,” She says, looking up at the pair of them. “It’s still moving, and it’s getting further away.”

“What do we do?” Yaz asks, looking intently at the Doctor. “He’s in danger,” She explains. “If we stay here, we’re trusting their word.”

“But if we leave him with them, they could kill him.” The Doctor says.

“We have to do something, Doctor, I can’t lose him.” Ryan pleads. “_Please_.”

The Doctor snaps her head to Ryan. “You’re not going to lose him, Ryan, not if I have a say in it.”

“So what are we going to do then, Doctor?” Yaz asks. "Because those are our two options."

The Doctor stares down the alleyway that Graham was dragged down, eyes cold and deadly like the fridged air all around them. “We get him back.” She states. "Alive."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Dragged away.
> 
> Oh, who said I couldn't make a two-parter? :>


	6. Dragged Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not sorry
> 
> (there is a little reference to the book 'The Good Doctor' in this. Even though me and that book have a long history where it frustrates me)

Graham’s given up trying to remember the different twists and turns he’s been lead down. It all looks the same, grey, tall, and dark with white snow coating the pavement. If he just listened to Ryan and phoned Yaz, told her they were sorta lost and asked for a pick-up, then Ryan would be safe. He wouldn't currently be lost in the backstreets on some freezing cold alien world without a means to phone Yaz or the Doctor.

And he also wouldn’t have a slender, but strong arm wrapped around his throat, threatening to restrict access to air at a moments notice if he so much as struggles. His legs ache, and he’s cold now, they never gave him a chance to do his jacket back up, but that’s the least of his worries. The gun is pushed against his head. That's a warning in and of itself.

If it was just the one then maybe, and it's a big maybe, he could wrestle for the weapon, but it isn’t, so that thought is something he doesn’t waste time thinking about. He’s lead forward, half expecting to take another turn, but frowning when they don’t. Instead, he’s been lead to a building with one door, damaged and clearly broken into. Lovely, prime real estate his mind tells him.

The alien holding onto him shoves him forward and he only just manages to catch himself from falling over at the surprise. Graham turns and glares at the alien pointing the gun at him. “I’m not going to do something stupid.” His eyes flick between the two aliens and the weapon. “Not when I’m outnumbered.”

“Good,” The first aliens says. “But this-" He waves the gun. "-Is just insurance.” The second nods. “Now get in there.”

Graham glares for a moment longer before turning and pulling open the rusted door. It creaks and groans and he can feel the coldness through his gloves, but that's not the only metal he feels through his clothes. The first alien is pressing the gun into his back, pushing him forwards and through the door.

It’s dark. It smells. There’s even a taste in the air, sour and metallic with a hint off- Oh, he’s gonna gag. He knows that smell; had it in the back of his throat before.

“Keep moving, human,” The first alien reminds him, the ever-presence of the gun being felt on his back and urging him forward.

Graham walks forward, carefully. He can’t see where he’s going or what’s in front of him and he’s not sure he wants to know when his feet hit different items: some hard, some soft. There is a rattling off to the left of him and critters moving around to the right.

“Get the light,” The first alien says. Graham hears movement, bigger and definitely not a critter move off to the side and then he shuts his eyes. The white burns against them harshly. He blinks trying to get used to the sudden brightness, as soon as it clears he spots the state of the room that he’s in.

There’s faded brown stains on the floor. He doesn’t need a forensics team to tell him what they are, Graham pulls his eyes away from them and looks around, trying to spot anything else that might be of use. There are clothes and bags torn apart by the wall. The items from them are thrown all over the place. He could comment, a joke about them cleaning and sprucing the place up, but he’s scared. He'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t afraid.

But the smell, the taste in the back of his throat brings back memories of a similar ordeal. The coldness as well, chilling and a reminder of a time he'd really rather not think about even if it did end reasonably well.

At least there isn’t a granite throne this time, Graham thinks, or a mad man with a wacky religion about him waving torture instruments in his face. That’s a bonus. It's just two aliens waving a gun instead.

Graham feels the pressure of the gun leave his back, but that moment of relief is short-lived when he’s grabbed again and forced to turn around to face the two aliens.

“_Make them work_,” The first alien says, forcing the two phones into his hands.

* * *

The Doctor charges forward, Ryan and Yaz hot on her heels with the latter forwarding what she can hear from the conversation Graham and his kidnappers are having over the phone. Ryan, on the other hand, isn’t listening to them. He’s focusing on putting one foot in front of the other; he can’t afford to slip or trip.

Any time wasted on him is time lost in getting his grandad back. The coldness from the air he felt earlier is gone, replaced by fear, heat, and anxiety.

“Are they saying anything, Yaz?” The Doctor asks, voice barely affected by the sprinting.

“No,” Yaz replies, sounding fine as well. “Not much anyway, most of it is muffled.”

“He shoved it into his pocket.”

“Who?” The Doctor questions, skidding to a stop and facing Ryan. “Graham?”

Ryan shakes his head. “The alien, the one without the gun.” He sucks in air, the chill hits the back of his throat and sends shivers through him. “I just want him back.”

“And you will get him back, Ryan,” The Doctor promises. “I will make sure of that.”

“How are you going to do that, Doctor?” Ryan demands. “When they have a weapon pointed at him.”

The Doctor looks at Ryan for a brief moment before turning away and glancing at her sonic again. “They’re slowing down now.”

“What do you mean?” Yaz probes, the phone still held to her ear.

“They don’t know anyone is tracking them, which means they should be heading somewhere where they think they’re safe.” The Doctor explains.

“We can’t go in there though.” Ryan reminds them. “The moment they see us, they’ll kill him or take him again.”

“I know, Ryan.” The Doctor snaps. “I’m well aware of that.”

“We need a-”

“Shut up!” Yaz says, quickly and commanding. “Shut up; they’re talking.”

“Put the phone on loudspeaker, Yaz,” The Doctor says, voice low and whispered.

Yaz nods and quickly follows the Doctor’s order. She holds the phone out for them all to listen in on the conversation that Graham and the two aliens are having.

“_Make them work,_” barks a voice, one that Ryan’s recognises as the alien with the gun. He signals that to Yaz and the Doctor, a hand showing them a gun.

_“I can’t,” Graham says. “That one doesn’t have a signal-”_

_“You’re lying,” snaps a different voice._

_“I’m not,” Graham replies. “They’re useless here-”_

_There is a ruffle of fabric and a shout that causes the three of them to stare at each other in fear. They look back to the phone again._

_“You unlocked the one you had, unlock the other one.” The first alien demands._

_“I can’t,” Graham explains. “I don’t know the code to it.”_

_“So unlock the one you had.”_

_“It’s no use here, that’s what I keep telling you,” Graham tries again. “It needs a-” His voice gets cut off, and there’s a choked cough over the line._

_“Unlock it!” Shouts one of them, they don’t bother trying to figure out which one is talking now. They’re too focused on Graham and the pained noise he made. “Or we will hurt you.”_

Ryan snaps his eyes to the Doctor and Yaz. They match his gaze, Yaz’s eyes are fearful, but the Doctor’s eyes, they’re cold and angry. They hear Graham suck in the air on the other end of the line.

_“You don’t have to hurt me,” Graham speaks, voice coming out in a rasp. There is a moment of silence on the line. “There,” Graham says, voice a welcome sign to them all. “I’ve unlocked mine for you.”_

_“Now do the other-”_

_“I don’t know the pin-”_

_“Do it,” Spits one of them. “Figure it out.”_

Ryan doesn’t dare speak, but he mouths his pin code, pleading for his grandad to at least try it. He’ll know it; he just needs to think about it. “Come on, gramps,” He mutters. “Come on.”

_“If you don’t make them work, then you are not any use to us,” The first alien shouts._

_Silence. Nothing is coming out over the phone call accept for tapping and breathing; it’s harsh and grating and clearly panicked on the other end. “Come on,” They hear Graham murmur. “What would Ryan put?” More tapping, another groan._

“It’s your bleeding birthday, gramps,” Ryan says. There’s a moment when the tapping pauses, like the person on the other end, is thinking… or listening.

_“Ryan.”_

_“What did you say?” Snaps a voice._

_“My grandson, it’s his phone-” Graham quickly says. “I’m just saying his name, trying to get into his mind-” The tone in Graham’s voice is different. “That’s all.”_

They all share a glance together. Is that code? Has Graham figured out that they are listening in on the other end?

The tapping begins again, slower this time, as a thought hits Ryan. “You can’t unlock the phone, gramps; they will see the call.” The tapping stops.

_“What’s taking so long?” The breathing is deep on the other end. “Talk.”_

The tapping starts up again, and again, and again, and Ryan frowns, eyes locking onto Yaz and the Doctor. They know he can hear them and they know he knows the code, so what is he playing at?

“What are you doing, Graham?” The Doctor asks head bowed to the phone and voice low.

_“I’m locked out,” Graham answers, suddenly. “I said I don’t know his code-”_

There is a shout of anger on the other end, something getting knocked over and then the trio wince. They don’t need to be there to know that Graham was kicked. The sound over the phone was clear enough to them all.

_“If you can’t unlock it, then you are useless to us,” The first alien snaps. “This whole evening has been a waste.”_

_“You picked them out,” Comes the voice of the second alien. “You made us go after these two instead of the other one-”_

_“Because there were two of them-” The first shouts. “And they looked the part,” The trio flinch again. The thud of a leg hitting something and a cry of pain. “Well dressed,” Kick. “Human,” Kick. “The perfect profile.” Kick. “But a complete waste of time.” Kick._

_“Well, what are we going to do?” The second says._

_“We take the devices,” The first speaks. “Maybe someone will buy them.”_

_“What about him?”_

_“No one will find him,” The first says. There’s a clatter of something being picked up. “They’ll just assume he was unlucky or angered someone; no one will investigate.”_

_“No,” The second says, suddenly and hastily. “You can’t-”_

There is a chill spreading between the three of them, and it’s not from the cold all around them.

_“He’s a witness,” The first shouts._

_“So is the one we left in the alleyway,” The second interjects. “As soon as this one doesn’t turn back up, he’ll call the police.”_

_“We’ll be gone by then.”_

Ryan stares at the phone, his worst nightmare is coming true, and he might very well have to listen to his granddad's murder. He pleads with the first alien to listen to his friend, to not take that step. To just leave with the phones, useless as they may be, without resorting to murder.

The Doctor, on the other hand, has stood and turned while Ryan’s eyes remained locked on the phone. He doesn’t notice her raise her sonic in the air or see the dark look in her eyes or the sneer on her face.

“Doctor, what are you doing?” Yaz asks, spotting the movements of the older woman.

“I’m going to get him back,” The Doctor explains. “I want you two to stay-”

“Like hell,” Yaz says, looking directly at the Doctor’s back. “We’re coming with you.”

The Doctor spins to face Yaz, eyes dangerous. “I’m getting Graham back,” She says, voice colder than the air around them. “I can’t risk you two as well.”

Yaz’s gaze hardens. “I watched my friend and colleague die, Doctor, I’m not going to stand aside when it’s Graham in there.”

Ryan finally tears his eyes away from the phone; it’s silence unnerving him. They’re toying with his grandad's life and deciding his fate. “I’m coming, Doctor,” He exclaims. “There’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

The Doctor glances between them, clearly displeased but losing time to argue with them when voices start-up on the phone again — arguing, one trying to persuade the other to kill, one trying to talk the other down.

“Keep close,” The Doctor orders, and she doesn’t wait for a reply as she turns and sprints towards Graham’s location, sonic held high in her hand while the phone keeps them roped into the morbid discussion.

Hearts are thumping, blood is pounding through their ears, making it hard to focus, but they proceed. The cold hits their face, sharp against their boiling skin. Pain blooms in Ryan’s side, but he stays running. Feet hitting the pavement in a rhythm.

Yaz regulates her breathing, in her mind, she’s chasing someone down. The man who killed her partner, maybe, maybe not, but she has her goal. She won’t stand by and watch someone else she cares about die.

And the Doctor, her face is clear, but the storm raging within is stronger, and she’s angry. They nearly died before, and here she is, putting her trust in an alien that tried robbing her friends a moment ago to try and talk his friend out of killing hers-

_The shot fires._

And she almost skids to a holt, legs jamming at the sudden noise from Yaz’s phone. She picks her running up again, this time not even bothering to check if her younger human friends are keeping up with her.

She needs to get there, and she isn’t far. The sonic buzzes in her hand, telling her that. It tells her to take a left; she takes it. A right, she pivots on the spot. She keeps running, breath coming thick, lungs finally straining from the pressure.

But she sees the door in front of her, the only logical place he could be, swinging shut like someone came rushing out of it. She slams her body into it; the sound of clanging rings out through the alleyway. Critters scamper and whatever was nesting in the roofs fly.

She rips the door open and sprints in. The lights are on, clearly whoever left did it in a hurry. She follows her sonic as it leads her into a room that smells of blood and rot. The taste sticks in her throat, metallic and sickening, but she doesn’t care. It’s not important.

Not when her eyes find what they’re looking for slumped on the floor, unmoving.

Dead?

Her mind says, and she wastes no time in heading there, knees slamming against the floor as hands turn over his body. He’s pale, cold, he looks-

_Dead_.

His shirt is burnt, the wound is red and cauterised on his right side. Her hand reaches out to his throat, needing to confirm what she doesn’t want to confirm-

“_Doc_?” A voice, quiet and pained, says. It’s weak, but her hearts pound in her chest when she looks at his drawn face. His eyes are slightly open.

“Graham,” She breathes out. Eyes welling up from anxiety and fear and relief. There’s footsteps behind her, gasps and swearing. Another pair of knees hit the floor.

“Gramps,” Ryan says, voice shaking with emotion as he looks down at his grandad on the floor. “We’re here.”

Graham nods, and then he rests his head against the rust-stained floor. “Bastard-” He chokes out. “Missed me, mainly.” He swallows. “Friend knocked the gun-”

“Shh,” Yaz says, coming over and checking over the wound in his side. “It doesn’t matter.” She says. “We need to get him to the medical bay, Doctor, he's not bleeding, but it's not going to treat itself.”

“Already on it,” The Doctor says. “And I know she doesn’t like this, but I’ll make it up to her-” The Doctor says, raising her sonic high again and imploring her ship to listen to her pleas. “Come on, old girl, just this once.”

Her thumb turns white against the button while she pushes her mind out towards her ship, pleading with her. The Doctor’s eyes light up and widen when she hears the ancient engines tearing through space. The flashing of blue bleeding through the air.

She’s won for once. She’s not lost. She doesn’t have to carry another name around with her like an anchor. He’s alive. She got there in time. For once the universe was on her side.

But he shouldn’t have been put in danger like that, that inner part of her says. Like it did before back at the festival.

Like it’ll continue to do every time she looks at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Isolation.


	7. Isolation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short but oof

She walks.

And walks.

With a need to be alone, a need to be away from them while they come to terms with how close one of them came to dying. If the gun wasn’t knocked away and the shot aimed true, if she was further away, if they missed the phonecall-

There would be a very different atmosphere on the TARDIS. One cold and quiet, the person's voice missing, his jokes and laugh and comments about her flying. Something that would never be heard in her long corridors again.

She would've missed it, and she would've had another name to hang on that wall within her mind. Each name tagged on it like a brand.

Every life that was ended- Adric, Clara, Bill, Grace-

_River_.

Every life that was changed- Tegan, Jack, Martha-

_Donna_.

And then every life marked and scarred, mental and physical. Too many to name, but the list is the longest and most damning towards her.

She promised herself that it would be different this time. Just pleasant and safe trips, show them the best that the universe has to offer. Easy.

Hell, she made sure this time, explained it to them, let them all know that she wouldn’t know what she would be dragging them into. Laid it all out and they agreed, they pushed the lever together.

And she dragged into danger at every turn, every opportunity that presented itself. A hospital in space, a shipyard with someone she thought she ended. Her eyes close for a hint of a second as it’s laugh echoes through her head. A Dalek. Always them, always coming back and dragging her back to the point she tries to forget. Pulling that darkness within her free, pressing it outwards and onto whatever is in her path.

And perhaps that is her Fam this time, each time they've been hurt. She forgets that humans are so fragile. Her mind travels back to the explosion. The marks up Yaz’s arm, now faint, but she spots them when the younger woman wears a t-shirt. Eye’s lingering against her.

And she pulls her mind from Yaz reluctantly. She can’t hurt her like she hurt the others; she can’t bear to put someone through that again.

Which means she returns her thoughts back to Graham, the one she was trying not to think about who is currently lying in her medical bay unconscious while the healing drugs she’s pumping into him do the trick.

He’ll heal. He’ll be fine. He’ll recover.

But the burn remains. Gruesome and raw at the moment, but soon to be pink and raised. Marred. Like the one on his arm that he hides from her.

And it’s her fault. She shouldn’t have let them wander the streets alone; she put faith in Graham to keep them safe when she shouldn’t have. She’s the oldest here, they are young to her, and it’s so easy to forget that with the older man.

So easy to think that Graham has the same life experiences as she does when he doesn’t. He’s a bus driver and a grandfather- She frowns, he mentioned that he became a bus driver in Sheffield, but never what he did before that. She knows he isn’t from Sheffield, the accent is wrong, but she never asked what he did.

And he never said.

They had that together. Neither one probed the other for information; both hid their past. Her’s for fear that they would see her for what she truly is and would run. His- she doesn’t know.

And maybe she should ask. Her eyes caught the other marks on his torso. Unexplained, but healed, and old, apart from the one near his collarbone.

She continues to walk the lonely path through her ship. Thoughts spirling away from her while her legs take her from her Fam. The distance between them hurts, but it’s for the best for the time being.

They need isolation from her.

And she needs it from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Stab Wound.


	8. Four Prompts in One because I don't follow rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I combined 'Stab Wound' 'Unconscious' 'Stitches' and 'Don't Move' together.
> 
> I also moved 'Shackled' to a later date.

It wasn’t supposed to go like this. It was just meant to be easy and fun. A trip to the market of a city to pick up something, but then she and the Doctor were dragged into something. It was meant to be something to keep their mind of recent events, but lately, it seems they can’t go a day without something happening. The Doctor groans and Yaz’s eyes are locked against the blade sticking out of her like a sore thumb. She watches as the blood spills from the edges, her vision blurring almost and head feeling heavy.

It’s happened again.

And she watched it.

_Again_.

It’s a play by play in her mind, her face mixing between his. Her coat flashing with the word POLICE. Rainbow T-Shirt turning black and into a stab vest. If only she were wearing one, then maybe-

It didn’t help Matty, though, did it?

That insidious voice inside her brain says as her heart beats an intense rhythm.

It’s happened again.

Again, again, _aga_-

“Yaz,” A voice says. The tone demanding her attention. “You need to breath-” It says through pained gasps. She watches as pale fingers slide between the blade, bright red coating them as the person in question applies pressure. “Yaz, breathe, you have to breathe-”

Yaz looks up and in the person’s eyes. The blonde hair switches to short brown, his blue eyes looking kindly at her and then turning to dark green, her face pleading with her to listen and back again. She's looking into Matty's face, sharp jaw, wicked smile and it's painful.

“_Matty_-”

“No, Yaz,” The voice says. “Breathe, I know it’s hard, but I need you to breathe-”

“But-”

“Breathe,” She says, voice laboured, but encouraging. “What’s real around you?” Yaz frowns. "Come on, what can you feel?"

Yaz looks back up again. She sees him staring at her, but the voice doesn't match his. “The ground-” He smiles and nods. She tries again. “The air-”

“What does it smell like?”

She breathes deeply. “Fresh,” She explains, repeating the process and feeling calmer. “Not like Sheffield.”

“Not like Sheffield,” The Doctor repeats and this time when she stares into those ancient, impossibly ancient eyes she sees the woman who has become a part of her life, made it impossible, but brilliant. “I’m going to need a hand, Yaz,” She says, face twisting in flashes of pain. “It’s not hit anything too important; I don't think-”

Yaz nods and makes her way forward, hands inching out to the Doctor. “What do you need me to do?” She asks, voice wobbling.

“Take me to the TARDIS,” The Doctor says. "Safe there."

“You need medical aid, Doctor.” Yaz states. "I'm not sure it's wise moving-"

The Doctor looks towards Yaz. “The TARDIS,” She says. “I’ll be fine there; I just need to get there.”

Yaz isn’t sure, but she trusts the Doctor. She nods. “TARDIS.” She swallows down her fear. The Doctor will be fine. She chants it like a mantra in her head. The Doctor will be fine. The Doctor will be fine. The Doctor will be fine. The Doctor will be- “What do you need me to do?”

“Help me up,” The Doctor says. “I’ll keep the pressure on the wound myself, but I’ll need you to help me walk to the TARDIS.”

Yaz nods and slides her arms under the Doctor’s. She’s careful not to jostle her, concern her main priority, but she manages to lift her, and she’s lighter than she expected. She heads round to the Doctor’s left side and allows the Doctor to place her free arm around the back of her neck. Yaz’s eyes dart to her right hand, still pressed tightly between the blade and her side. She takes a deep breath. “Are you ready?”

The Doctor nods, face slightly pale. There is a sheen across her brow. “Go ahead, Yaz,” She says.

And Yaz can tell she’s lying. That she’s putting on a brave face, but they need to get back to the TARDIS, so she can't dwell on that. Not when she's being relied upon. Oh, how she wished that Ryan said yes to coming along now, but she can’t blame him for wanting to keep Graham company in the TARDIS medical bay. Can’t blame him for wanting to stay by his side — especially after what happened to the pair of them.

And she understands completely as she takes that first slow and steady step. The Doctor sucks in air as her left hand grips onto Yaz's right shoulder. They walk and walk, each step becoming harder and harder than the one before, but she has to keep them going, has to make it there. Get help, but she’s not sure what a nineteen-year-old mechanic or a currently bed bound bus driver can do.

“It’s the TARDIS,” The Doctor mumbles and Yaz frowns. “You’re thinking loudly.” She continues, head drooping and voice slipping. “Humans always think such loud thoughts.”

Yaz secures her arms around the Doctor’s sagging body. “Come on, Doctor,” She says, pushing her forward. “She’s not far now, look,” She says, voice filled with enthusiasm, but lacking the warmth it would usually have. She tries, she really does, but it's hard. “You can see her.”

The Doctor raises her head, and true enough, the blue outline is in the distance. “My beautiful Ghost Monument,” She whispers, and Yaz isn't sure that it's directed at her.

Yaz smiles at that. “She is,” She says, hands holding tightly against the Doctor. “Like her pilot.” She mutters without thought. Something she was only meant to keep inside, but it slipped out.

The Doctor glances upwards towards Yaz, eyes searching her face like it holds the answers to the universe. “_Yaz_?”

“We’re nearly here, Doctor,” Yaz says. She focuses her eyes forward and watches as the doors to the time ship open without prompting. Like she knows. The proximity to the TARDIS drives them there and through the doors. “Ryan!” She yells, hoping that he’ll hear. “I need help now!”

She doesn’t wait as she turns towards one of the corridors, but sure enough, she spots her mate coming out from the corridor she’s heading to with a confused look on his face. “What-” His expression changes instantly when he sees the sight in front of him. “Shit, what happened?” He asks, legs bringing him over to them.

“Bhenzians,” The Doctor mumbles. “Nasty bunch, stab first, rarely ask questions-”

“Ben Zian?” Ryan replies.

“It doesn’t matter,” Yaz snaps. “We need to get her to the medical bay.”

Ryan nods and motions for Yaz to move away from her. She does so reluctantly, hand still resting upon the Doctor’s arm, but Ryan is taller than she is and she’s just supported the Doctor all the way to the TARDIS. She watches as he picks up the Doctor’s weak form carefully. He cradles her, the uninjured side resting against his torso and head nestled against his arm. “The medical bay should just be through here,” He says, turning to work towards it. “I just came from it when I heard you shout, was with my grandad.”

Yaz nods and follows behind the taller lad. “She asked to be brought back here,” She informs him. “I think the TARDIS can help her or something.”

Ryan only nods at her as he walks into the medical bay and towards a bed, placing her gently down on it.

“What the fuck happened?”

Comes a voice, snapping Yaz to reality because she never expected to ever hear him swear. She looks over and sees Graham watching them, eyes wide and worried. “She was stabbed.”

“I can see that,” Graham replies, sitting up and, much to her misgivings, getting out of his bed. He limps over, face twisting in pain. “Is she-” He pauses, eyes locking against the wet patch on her T-Shirt. “-gonna be okay?”

“Mhmm, fine,” The Doctor murmurs. “Will be soonish, possibly will need a nap.” She says again, this time looking at Graham and frowning. “You should be in bed, Graham.”

“Yeah,” Graham answers, not looking sheepish at all. He’s looking pale like the Doctor is and Yaz wished he would return to his own bed. She can't see the burn under the loose T-Shirt he has on now, but she remembers it — a mark from the top of his right leg to the edge of his ribs. Skin burnt away and made to grow with whatever medicine she gave him. Painful was all the Doctor said, better that it grows back when he isn't awake. Something about how growing nerve endings back is excruciating.

But he's still marked for life.

Yaz turns her attention back towards the Doctor, that's her main concern at the moment. Graham, he’s his own man, if he wants to stand with them, then she’ll let him because she knows she would be doing the same if she were in his shoes. They all would.

“What do you need us to do, Doctor?”

The Doctor looks to Yaz, and there is a faint smile on her face. “Nothing,” She winces. “Well, I need you to remove the blade-”

“Wait, don’t they say that you ain’t sposed to remove the knife?” Ryan asks. "Like you'll bleed and stuff, my nan spoke about it."

The Doctor winces. “I need it to be removed so I can enter a healing coma,” She says, drifting slightly. “I’ll be fine, but I can’t enter it with it in me.”

“You’ll bleed through, Doctor,” Yaz points out.

“Not if you stitch me up,” The Doctor explains, looking at them all. “It’s the only way.”

Ryan shares a glance between his grandad and Yaz before turning to look at the Doctor. “Alright.” He looks back at the others. “If the Doctor says it’s the only way, then I trust her.”

“If the Doc says it,” Graham sighs. “I’m not happy, but-” His brow knits together. “I say we do it.”

Yaz looks at Graham and Ryan and then she faces the Doctor and nods. “Okay.”

The Doctor smiles. It’s tight and forced. “I’ll fall unconscious as soon as it’s out.” She warns. "I won't be able to stop that."

"Okay," Ryan flicks his eyes between his grandad and Yaz and then to the knife. “I’ll pull it out-”

“You sure son?” Graham questions, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I can do it," Ryan says with a nod and moves his hand to the knife. “You ready, Doctor?”

The Doctor's eyes flick to Ryan, and then to Yaz. “Hold me still, Yaz.” Yaz sucks in a breath and rests her shaking hands against the Doctor’s shoulders. “Whenever you’re ready then, Ryan.” Her eyes dart to Graham. “Get ready to apply pressure if you can, Graham.” She smiles at him. “Only if you can, I don't want you doing anything if you can't.” Graham pats her on the hand and nods before turning with a grunt to grab a fresh towel.

Ryan takes a deep breath and tightens his hand around the handle. “On three, alright? Everyone ready?” The Doctor nods, her eyes locked against the ceiling. Graham and Yaz nod as well. “Don’t move, Doctor,” Ryan orders. “Right… one” He pauses, and releases a breath of air. “-two-” And then he pulls the knife free, much to the shock and surprise of Yaz and his grandad. “-Gramps, towel, now.”

Graham moves the towel to the wound, while Ryan pushes his hands out of the way and applies pressure. "I only did it on two cause I thought it better just to pull it-" Ryan rambles, looking unsure. "I dunno-"

"You did grand, son," Graham praises with a small smile. "Grace would be proud."

Yaz watches the Doctor while they have their conversation. The Doctor's eyes are closed, and her face is neutral. She's passed out like she said she would. Yaz brings her hand to the Doctor’s neck and exhales when she finds the double pulse. "She's alive." She mumbles, not caring if the boys are listening to her.

Yaz reluctantly takes her eyes from the Doctor’s face and glances around the medical bay for the suture kit. She spots one and picks it up. “I can stitch her-” she says, unsure and worried.

“No, love,” Graham says. “You look drained,” He says and reaches out a hand to her. “I’ll do it.”

“Graham, I can do it-”

“Your hands are shaking.” Graham points out. “I might be tired, but my hands are steady.”

“No, Graham, I need to do it-” Yaz says, eyes welling up. “-Please.”

“Mate,” Ryan says, hands still holding the towel against the Doctor. “Let my grandad do it,” He says. “She wouldn’t want you to hurt her or cause yourself pain by doing it.”

“I need to-” She starts. She failed before, didn’t help him, just watched while he bled out. She has to; she needs to-

“Matty wasn’t your fault, Yaz,” Graham says suddenly and annoyingly hitting the nail on the head. “Let me do it.”

Yaz closes her eyes and wipes a hand across them. She hands the suture kit over to Graham, her throat swallowing thickly and tightly as she cries. The stress, the anxiety, and the memories are boiling over. She reaches forward and takes the Doctor’s hands in hers; she doesn’t watch what Graham is doing. Her peripheral vision catching Ryan removing the towel and Graham rolling her socked T-Shirt up to her ribs. "At least we'll have scars on the same side," He says. His tone is serious, and maybe he's just thinking aloud. "Mine's bigger, though."

But Yaz doesn't pay attention to him. She prays instead as she brings up the Doctor’s pale hand to her mouth, lips kissing it gently. Ryan or Graham don’t comment, maybe they don’t notice. She hears Graham asking for a disinfectant cloth and a bandage, but she doesn’t remove her eyes from the Doctor’s drawn and sweat covered face.

She’ll be alright. She’s strong. She’s the Doctor. She's amazing.

And she loves her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Bedridden.


	9. Bedridden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the prompt that never was
> 
> I took it from a previous one because I still want to make this 31 chapters so i needed to add three

The gentle hum of her ship awakens her slowly. She sings in the back of her mind, soft and relaxing. Safe and reassuring. Calming and pleasant. The Doctor blinks her eyes open, the low glow of the medical bay is soothing and not straining like any other hospital would be. She stays lying there, listening, mind drifting until she feels a twinge of pain in her right side that causes her to frown.

The Doctor glances down, looking confused when she finds that she’s wearing a bigger T-Shirt than the one she had on before. She reads the letters upside down.

“_Assassin’s Creed?_” She murmurs, she doesn’t own a shirt like this, does she? Well, not one that she knows off, she wouldn't go for the word assassin-

“You’re awake then,” Comes a voice off to the side of her. She glances over to the owner and finds Graham staring at her over a book in his hands. “You’ve been out for about-” His brows knit together. “-a day, if that, I think.”

“Oh,” The Doctor replies, her eyes catch the shirt again. “Did you-” She pulls at it.

“No,” Graham interjects, looking slightly flushed at the mention that he would’ve. “Yaz changed you, thought it for the best and all, you know-” He says, looking slightly embarrassed. “-it’s one of Ryan’s by the way,” Graham laughs and then gestures to his own ensemble. “Seems we’re both wearing his clothes right now, aren’t we?”

The Doctor pushes herself up the bed and glances to Graham. He’s in a T-Shirt as well, the lettering muddled over the creases, but it looks like it says ‘Call of _Something_. His trousers are loose as well, not his usual jeans. “Spose we are.” She mutters, yawning. “Why am I here?”

Graham places the book down in his lap and stares at her, dumbfounded. “Doc, you were stabbed,” He says. “We had to pull it outta you-”

“Stabbed?”

“Yeah,” Graham says, picking the book back up and placing it on the bedside table. The Doctor watches as he sits up, face grimacing while he swings his legs from the side of the bed. “I had to stitch you up,” He says, coming round to her. “I did a decent enough job if you ask me." He informs. "Yaz held your hand.”

"Stabbed." The Doctor repeats and stares up at Graham, mind turning over everything. A planet, meant to be simple, wasn’t, got into trouble, stabbed- _Stabbed_! “I was stabbed!”

"Finally caught up then, have we?" Graham laughs, genuine and she likes that the pain in his eyes fade for a bit, even if it does return a moment later. She gives him a sheepish look. “Yeah, you were,” He says. “We were worried about you.”

“Shouldn’t worry for me, Graham,” The Doctor mumbles.

“Shut up,” The Doctor frowns at him. “I mean, shut up, as in, of course, we’d worry about you, you daft alien.” He smiles at her. "You're our friend."

“And you're speciest.” She says, joking. "For calling me a daft alien."

Graham shrugs at her, smirking and then wincing. “Shrugging, have to remember not to shrug-” He mutters, trailing off and sighing. “Look at the pair of us.” He says. There is tiredness in his eyes like he hasn’t slept a good night for a while. “Couped up in the medical bay.” He exhales. "What is happening lately? Seems all we do is get hurt."

The Doctor stares at Graham’s face and then she looks towards where she knows he was shot. “I’m sorry, Graham.”

“Not your fault, Doc-”

“It is,” The Doctor interrupts. “Should’ve watched you and Ryan, shouldn’t have let you out of my sight.”

“It doesn’t matter, Doc, ain’t your fault, plain and simple and I ain’t having you lying there thinking it is or that I bleeding blame you for it, cause I don’t and I never would,” Graham states, clear as day for her. “Some bastard on some planet did it, and I know you would frown, but I honestly wish that they try the trick on something that is bigger than they are-”

“I wouldn’t frown at that, Graham,” The Doctor says. “It’s understandable.”

Graham nods. “Either way,” He says. “I’m just glad it’s me and not Ryan that got shot.” He lifts the shirt up for her on the right side. The skin is pink, raised and inflamed. Not infected, just healing. “I think the time for sunbathing is over, don’t you think?”

The Doctor stares at his wound and even though she knows he doesn’t blame her, she still feels the guilt eating away at her. She tears her thoughts away from that when he places the shirt down again. “Where is Yaz?” She asks. “And Ryan.” She adds on, quickly.

Graham chuckles, legs turning away from her and heading back towards his own bed, only stopping along the way to pick up a packet of tablets and a glass of water. “Ryan is planning something, dunno what, and Yaz-” He glances back, tablets in hand. He places them in his mouth and then brings the water to his lips, swallowing both. “She was here, poor girl looked shattered so I sent her to her room,” He smiles. “Mind, she argued with me, but saw reason when I pointed out that she was slipping off her seat.”

The Doctor’s eyes widen suddenly. “I was stabbed-” She goes to move, eyes locking on Graham. “Matty-”

“She knows, Doc,” Graham says, getting back into his bed. It’s slow, and he groans but looks relieved when he leg stretches out in front of him. “She’s, well not okay, but she’s getting there.” He explains. “A good nights sleep will do wonders for her, something to wash the day and a bit away and all.”

“You’re wise, Graham-”

“No, I’m old, there’s a difference,” Graham says. “I’ve learnt and done a lot over the years, Doc.”

The Doctor watches Graham again. “Like what?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like what, Graham?” She asks again, eyes boring into his soul. “What have you learnt and done?”

Graham stares back, and for a moment in time, it's a matter of who will look away first. With no surprise, it’s Graham that does it first. “Stuff-” He says with a frown. “What’s with the sudden interest in my life?”

‘_You nearly died, Graham_,’ Is what she wants to say; instead, she settles for something else. Something neutral. “I’m curious.”

Graham watches her, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “No, you’re digging.” He says, seeing right through her. “Digging into my life.” He states. "It's obvious."

The Doctor exhales and looks down and into her lap. “You nearly died, Graham,” She says. “Not could’ve died or maybe died. If you were left any longer, if the gun wasn’t knocked away-” She looks at him. “Then you would be dead.” She says, eyes never leaving his face. “Right now, you would be dead, and Ryan would’ve lost someone else, and I would’ve lost someone else that I had a duty of care to.”

“A duty of care?” Graham repeats. “Doc-” He says with a sigh. “-Did you listen to the part where I said it wasn’t your damn fault?” She tears her eyes away from his weary face. “Cause it isn’t.”

She doesn’t reply, and she hears him sigh again.

“I was an electrician at one point in my life, bet you didn't think that about me,” Graham says. “I rewired the house at Grace’s request, well she was gonna phone one in, but I said I’d do it for her and that she obviously didn't need to pay me, it made sense.” The Doctor turns to look at Graham as he speaks. “This was before we got married by the way, but we were together,” He reveals. “I needed something to do with my spare time and it saved money.” There's a pause. “Money we were saving for the wedding.” Graham turns and looks at her; there’s a smile on his face. “She was gorgeous, honest to god; I stood up at that alter wondering why she would marry someone like me.”

“You’re a good man, Graham,” The Doctor says.

“I haven’t always been a good man, Doc,” Graham says. “We’ve all done things, things we’re ashamed off or stuff we don’t want to think about.” He looks ahead. “It’s what makes us human,” Graham explains. “And I’ve done my fair share of things that I don’t talk about.”

She doesn’t probe further. “So have I.” She says instead. "A list as long, if not longer than my life." She murmurs, not even knowing if Graham is listening to her now.

They both stare ahead, minds thinking through everything. Her arms steepled in front of her, and his are folded across his chest like a barrier. If she pushed, she could access his thoughts. She wasn't lying when she said humans think so loudly, but doing that is a breach of his trust.

And she won’t do that. Maybe he’ll tell her what he’s done, and maybe she’ll tell him what she’s done.

Eventually.

And if they don’t, then that’s fine, they’re all allowed their secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompts is...
> 
> Adrenaline.


	10. Adrenaline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrenaline.
> 
> But there is another prompt I'm using. It's not from the list. It's a four-letter word and it begins with F.
> 
> It's funny, this one was going to be completely different, but I quite like the way this goes now.

They’ve been rounded up and taken from a settlement that they were visiting with a bunch of other humans. She and her fam all herded towards the same area, a small enclosure by armed armoured aliens, faces hidden from view, but why? The Doctor’s not too sure. If they wanted them dead, then they could’ve easily killed them with the weapons they hold. Took whatever they wanted from them. Her second thought is perhaps they're slavers, but she's not sure now.

No, it’s something else. Something they want from them personally, and it’s on the tip of her tongue when she looks at the tall, reptile type aliens watching them. She frowns. No, they’re not reptiles, they just look it.

There are whispers all around them, scared, concerned, terrified. She can taste it. It's in the air, hitting the back of her throat like she's breathing it in. Is she? She doesn't know, but she can feel it. It sets her on edge, makes her feel all fuzzy inside, and she doesn’t like it — not one bit at all.

“Doctor,” Yaz says, body pressing against her. “What are they?”

“It’s on the tip of my tongue, Yaz,” The Doctor answers, eyes darting towards the young woman holding onto her hand.

"Can you get us out?" Ryan probes. "And the other people?"

“I’ll figure something out.”

“Well do it quickly, Doc,” Graham says, head angled upwards and face frowning. “Cause they’re talking about something up there.”

The Doctor looks away from them and to where Graham is staring. Sure enough, there is a group of them huddled together talking. She can’t hear them over the panicked voices around them, but they are stood around a machine. There's a fence between them. It doesn't look strong, a group could easily tear through, but no one is trying-

“If they wanted us dead, then we’d be dead, wouldn’t we?” Ryan points out, causing them all to look at him. “What? If I’ve learnt anything recently, it’s that if someone or something wants you dead, you’re dead or they at least tried to make that happen.”

“Ten points to Ryan Sinclair,” The Doctor says with no enthusiasm. He’s right, but he shouldn’t be. Not about that anyway.

“So what do they want then?” Yaz asks. “They’ve rounded us up in here for a reason, and we don’t know why.”

The Doctor looks down and over the gathered faces and then to her Fam. “If I could just place them, then maybe-”

“Activate it; I want this lot harvested and then we can move on to the next.” Booms a voice from everywhere at once. It’s harsh on their ears and scratchy on her brain. It’s scary. She feels fear creeping up her spine, tingling and hot, but she can push it down. She knows fear, and this isn’t it. It’s- She frowns, it’s something else- Her thoughts are taken away from that when she feels the vice grip Yaz has on her hand.

The Doctor looks towards her and sees the absolute panic on her face and then to Ryan and Graham, seeing the same fear. Sweat beading at their foreheads.

And then onto everyone around them. Young and old. All scared, but why? She feels fear, it’s thick and constant and constricting, but it’s manageable.

“Yaz,” The Doctor says over the cowering crowd. “Yaz look at me.” The younger woman stares ahead, bottom lip trembling. “Yaz-” She says again, this time bringing a hand up and resting it against her face. "Please-" She doesn’t want to do this, but she has to. She reaches across the surface of the younger woman’s mind. Not intrusive and never digging, but just enough to feel what she’s feeling.

And it’s enough to make her want to instantly pull away like she would if she picked up a hot tray, but she doesn’t. It feels wrong. Yaz has been scared. When she was stabbed, that was fear, and she pulled her from it, but this? This is something else, this digs in at her, touching against everything she's ever felt — Matty- When Graham was shot- _Izzy_\- Oh, Yaz. Her hearts break, and she feels the wetness on her face as she removes her hand and looks towards Graham and Ryan. She repeats the same process, finding the same level of fear within them. Graham dying, losing someone else that he loves and cares for. His cancer coming back, the pain, the tiredness, the ache of all coming back to him and reminding him of days long past.

She speaks to them as well, but they don’t see her. It’s all wrong. It’s- it’s- Her brows furrow together, and she desperately thinks, she needs to figure this out- It’s- It's-

It’s artificial. It’s all fake. A show designed to scare them, but why? What’s the use in making a bunch of humans freeze in fear? Why do they need them in a catatonic state of terror?

Unless- Oh, that’s the only thing that makes sense, but why? Why would they need them in a state of Fight-Flight-Freeze? Because they’ve all frozen in place. Eyes distant and foggy, with faces terrified.

“Havest it,” A voice says from above, and she looks up, spotting a group of creatures talking by a machine.

“Should we not let it increase?” Asks one of the reptile looking, but not creatures. “We would get more that way.”

“And by doing that we could kill them,” The first says, their fingers moving across a keyboard. “Killing them attracts too much attention, this way we get what we need and we'll be gone before they wake up.”

The second grunts and turns to look over them. The Doctor lowers her head, pretend to be human, don't let them suspect you aren't because if what they’re saying is true, if they don’t plan on killing them, then all she has to do is play along. Pretend to be human if it means protecting the ones here. If it means protecting her _Fam_.

Of course, she’d love nothing more than to stop whatever it is they’re doing, but she can’t, not when her Fam lives are on the line. She won't play with them like that.

“That’s odd,” The first voice says, puzzled and unconcerned about the fear they're causing. “We’re stuck on 99%.”

“Why?” A different one says. “It usually works.”

“I know,” The first replies, still sounding confused. “I could turn it up, but it might harm them.”

“It might not,” Another says. “Isn’t it worth a shot? I mean we need the chemical they produce in this state.”

Chemical? The Doctor wonders, what chemical could they be- Her eyes widen. Fear. Flight. Fight. _Freeze_.

They want the one thing that’s currently flowing through everyone here right now, and that’s adrenaline. Specifically, human adrenaline. She looks to her Fam again, their eyes unfocused and seeing whatever scares them most. Izzy. Losing another loved one. Cancer.

“Increase it,” One says. “We haven’t got all day, and there are other settlements on different planets. What we take here will be enough.”

And then she feels it. Hot against her skin. Voices mixing together. Friends. Foes. All are combining into an amalgamation of terror as her the nails from her free hand dig into her palm. Her eyes are opened, and all she can see is fire and brimstone. Buildings are collapsing around her; people are falling to bolts of blue.

That chilling voice. The word it screams.

_Exterminate_.

And the pain that follows.

It’s not real- It’s not here- It’s all fake- _It's all fake_-

So why does it feel so real? She wants to fight, but she wants to cry, to roll up and hug onto herself while it laughs above her. She pleads with it. The voice changes from deformed flesh in a metal casing to that of kids, poking and laughing. Taunting.

There's a barn — a bed. A child is crying. Voices are calling out to him, telling him not to be alone and that he's welcomed to join them.

And a hand. Something is holding onto her ankle, no _his_ ankle. Whoever it is, is whispering.

But he’s scared. There’s fear, but the voice is calming and telling him not to be afraid. It's so familiar; she can remember it — an old friend.

_Fear is a superpower. Fear can make you faster, and cleverer, and stronger, and one day you’re going to come back to this barn, and on that day you’re going to be very afraid indeed, but that’s okay, because if you’re very wise and very strong, fear doesn’t have to make you cruel or cowardly. Fear can make you kind-_

And then it’s gone. The pressure released from her and she’s standing, head turned upwards and sonic raised at them. Face turned at them with thunder in her eyes as she presses hard against the button. Fear can make you kind, but it can make you vengeful as well-

“Fear makes you strong.” She speaks, turning the machine against them. They watch her, faces hidden behind those masks, but she can see the fear radiating off them when their display tells them what she's doing. Each human around her waking up and beginning to do the one thing that they’re good at. That they've always been good at. _Fighting_. “And you should run.” She says.

She spots her friends, turning with the crowd, no the _mob_ baying for blood, and she reaches out to them, pulling them back. She’ll turn the others against them, but not them, not her Fam, she won’t let them bloody their hands. They're still under the effects of whatever that was, and she can only hope they won't remember it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Shackled.


	11. Shackled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't want to hurt them again, well not much, so this is hurt/comfort, but mainly comfort.
> 
> once again spoilers for the Doctor Who book 'The Good Doctor'

They’re pushed along, hands chained in front of them. The metal weighs their arms down while they’re jabbed in the back to move faster and Ryan wants to snap at them, to tell them that they are moving as fast as they can, but he doesn't. He stares ahead and glares instead.

Yaz glances up at Ryan and spots the frustrated and annoyed scowl on her friends face. She looks ahead as well and wonders how they’re going to get out of this fine mess with their hands locked together. She frowns, the Doctor and Graham should be along, they’ll rescue them. They never leave people behind, but they have been waiting for hours now. They’re tired, and their limbs ache, but they didn’t leave Graham back on that snowy planet, and she didn’t leave the Doctor when she was stabbed. They won’t leave them behind. She has her faith in them. They're a family and family look out for each other.

“Move it,” One of the armoured men says from behind them. Ryan and Yaz feel the jab again, and they know their backs will be bruised from it by now. "We haven't got all day."

Ryan bites his tongue again. It’ll do no good if he snaps. His nan taught him to keep his cool, and he’ll do just that, thank you very much. He kept his cool in America; he'll keep it here. He walks in tandem with Yaz, sharing glances with her now and then. They’re not sure where they’re being lead now after being pulled from their cell by the shackles around their raw wrists.

All night they’ve waited for the Doctor and Graham. All night they’ve spent in a cold cell. The smell getting lodged in the back of their throats. Iron and wet. Old blood. They know that smell all too well. The fresh air they breathe now is a welcomed relief, but where they’re being taken isn’t. It's far enough away from the town they found themselves in. Medieval is what the Doctor said it was.

“Heretics like yourselves,” Spits a guard from in front of them, suddenly. “Are to be sent back into Satan’s grasp.”

Yaz glares at the guards back. “We’re not from hell, we've told you this-”

“They all say that,” Laughs a guard to the right of them. “Begging and pleading with us not to burn them-”

“Burn us?!” Ryan splutters. “You can’t burn us.”

“Why not?” The guard from upfront says. “You’re demons and devils; the flames will welcome you with open arms while they send you back into the arms of Lucifer himself.”

“For the last time, mate,” Yaz says, frustration edging into her voice. “We ain’t demons or devils.”

“You entered our land,” The one in front says. “And used magic-”

“It wasn’t magic,” Yaz states. “It was first aid, and I saved his life. I told you this, but you refused to listen.”

“You brought him back from the dead,” The one to the right spits at her. “I watched you do it myself, he was dead, and then you touched him, and he reawakened. Devil work."

Yaz wants to roll her eyes. The first time she gives someone mouth to mouth, and she’s arrested for witchcraft. Both her and Ryan, who simply had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least it was just her and Ryan and not all of them. She frowns again. Where are the Doctor and Graham? She can’t help but wonder. What could they possibly be doing?

“We’re nearly there.” A guard says.

And now they both feel nervous. What if the Doctor and Graham are late? What if they don’t rescue them this time? They’ve been lucky these past few trips, what if this is-

Their thoughts trail away when they hear an all too familiar sound ripping through the countryside of medieval England. They share a glance as the wind picks up around them, blowing Yaz's hair into her face and whipping Ryan's jacket around. “The Doctor,” Yaz says, and Ryan nods, both grinning when they spot the blue of her box flashing in and out of view around them before turning solid.

There’s an instant banging on the doors outside, but they both know nothing can get through them. Yaz looks around, and spots both Graham and the Doctor stood by the console looking relieved. “Doctor,” She says.

“Took you long enough,” Ryan says, instead. “My wrists are sore.” He jangles the chains in front of him.

“Sorry about that,” The Doctor says while handing her sonic to Graham. “Just point and aim it at their wrists, Graham,” She orders before turning back to the console and tapping buttons and flicking switches. “I was going to land the TARDIS in your cell, but there wasn’t enough room. I would've run the risk of crushing you.” She glances at them. "Can't have a crushed Ryan and Yaz, can we?"

Graham stops his sonicking and looks at the Doctor. "Yeah, it would be ideal that they don't end up the same way as my chair."

"I've apologised for that, Graham," The Doctor reminds.

Graham rolls his eyes at her and aims the sonic back at their shackles. “Trust us, we weren’t planning on letting you two stay in a cell like that for that long,” He says. “Trust me when I say it isn’t nice to be kept in one or to have your wrists chained like that.”

Ryan frowns at that. “What do you mean, gramps?” He says, now rubbing at his raw wrists and wincing. "About knowing what it's like?"

“Me and Graham have experience” The Doctor explains, but not really when Ryan and Yaz look puzzled. She turns to glance at them as she hits the lever that sends them to safety within the Time Vortex. “Back on Lobos.”

“Lobos?” Yaz repeats. “What about it?”

Graham bats Ryan’s hands away from his wrists as he gently takes them and looks them over. “You’ll need cream for these, son,” He says, eyes flicking to Yaz’s and spotting the same soreness to them. “Both of you-”

“No,” Yaz says, causing them all to look at her. “I mean, yes, we probably do need cream, but no, as in why you have experience and what has it got to do with Lobos?” She frowns. "What happened there while you two were together?"

The Doctor leans away from the console when she’s satisfied that they are safe. She makes her way over to Ryan and Yaz. Her eyes stray to their wrists. “Graham is right; you’ll need cream for your wrists.” She says. “And we’ll answer your questions once we sort them out.”

Ryan glances at Yaz and shrugs. “Alright, sounds fair.” He says. "But I want to know what happened."

* * *

“Right, so what you’re saying is that Mykados tied you to a granite throne with leather straps for twelve hours straight-" Graham nods."-after threatening you with torture-" The older man nods again. "-and you never thought to mention any of this to me?” Ryan says from the chair he’s sat in. “I just want to be absolutely clear here.”

Graham looks sheepish while eating his mountain of ice cream. “He also shackled me and had his guards drag me around, used me as a human shield at one point and-”

“Oh, it gets better then,” Ryan says with sarcasm. He lowers his own tub of ice cream to his lap. “You should’ve mentioned this to me. I can’t believe you didn’t.” He says. “And it took us getting captured and shackled for you to even think about telling us.”

“It didn’t seem important at the time,” Graham says, defensive. “The Doc was sentenced to death, Yaz-” He glances to her and then his eyes catch the Doctor, knelt in front of her, rubbing the healing cream onto her sore wrists. “-Well, I thought she died when that mine blew up, and you-” He gestures to Ryan with his spoon. “-you were missing, kidnapped by that big dog thingy." He says. "I had a lot on my plate.” He snorts over a mouthful of ice cream. “It’s not every day some wacko makes a twisted religion about you, is it?”

“But torture?” Ryan splutters. “Didn’t you think that I might’ve wanted to know about that?”

“Ryan,” Yaz says, she looks tired but amused by the conversation. “Leave him alone; he obviously didn’t want you to worry about him.” She says. “You’re acting like a mother hen.”

“Torture, Yaz,” Ryan states. “_Torture_.” He pauses. “We’re not talking about something minor here; he was gonna be tortured for information.”

“I wasn’t though,” Graham says, over another mouthful of ice cream. “And the Doc wasn’t killed, it ended fine.” He states. “Worst things have happened to us.”

The Doctor hums at that too focused on Yaz’s wrists for the moment. “I’ve been killed before; I wouldn’t recommend it.” She scrunches her face and looks thoughtful. “Technically I’ve died a few times over.” She reveals to them all.

“See, jump on that, son,” Graham says, pointing at her with his spoon. “The Doc’s been killed.” He frowns. “More than once.”

Ryan blinks at the pair, eyes darting between them and then he sighs. He glances to Yaz and shakes his head. “Yo, white people are crazy.” He says, turning back to his ice cream. "I've never had to deal with this before."

Graham stares at him and then shrugs and goes back to eating his own ice cream while the Doctor gives them both a puzzled look, she too shrugs after a moment and turns once she’s finished with Yaz’s wrists to pick up the last two tubs of ice cream. She hands one over to Yaz and then pulls the lid of hers. A custard cream flavour from the future. “Anyway,” The Doctor says. “None of that matters,” She says as she wedges herself between Graham and Yaz. “We’ve got a film to watch and all the ice cream we could ever want to eat.”

Graham shoots her a glare. “Why don't you ask next time,” He mutters under his breath as he shuffles over, giving her space. “This is a sofa for three people, but with you on it, it seems like it’s only meant for two or one.”

The Doctor pulls her legs up off the floor and leans herself against Yaz, eyes flicking to Graham. “If you didn’t take all the room.”

Graham frowns at her and then looks down at himself. He’s wedged into the armrest while the Doctor has her feet digging into his side. “Has anyone ever said you’re like a cat, Doc?”

“No, why?” She replies over a mouthful of ice cream.

“No reason,” Graham says with a roll of his eyes. He looks at Ryan. “Start the film up, son.”

Ryan nods and reaches over to his controller. He clicks it on and then glances back to his family, eyes landing on the Doctor and Yaz, and he smirks and gestures with his head to them. Graham raises an eyebrow and then glances over, spotting that the Doctor has her head rested on Yaz’s shoulder and her arm wrapped around her. Graham chuckles to himself and shakes his head.

They’ve needed this. It might’ve started with Ryan and Yaz being taken from them, and yes, they were hurt, but they got them back with only minor injuries and tiredness. Nothing serious.

And for once, Graham is glad of that as he tucks into his ice cream, only stopping when the Doctor forces her legs onto his lap. He sighs and turns his attention to the film.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Scars.


	12. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swapped to 'Scars' because I want to build up to 'addiction'
> 
> Plus I gave Graham a big scar, of course, his cancer nurse and doctor would spot them.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Blood Test. It's not much, but I do mention it.

Graham used to come to these checkups with Grace, but the last few times he’s been by himself. Not really wanting to drag Ryan along because he knows the lad would be bored to death or worried about him and he doesn’t want that, but it’s nerve-wracking when you’re all by yourself. This is one of the times he really does miss the woman he loves. How she would hold his hand while the sound of the clock ticking away drove him mad or how when there’s a cough to the side of him forcing him to look at the poor sod. Then's there are the people who do look sick, who look like he did, bringing up the buried memories of him having no hair and a gaunt face. Her hand would be there, clasped around his, reassuring him.

But he doesn't have that now, and he’s worked himself into a state. You know you’re fine, Graham, you know it isn’t back because you’ve felt what it feels like, but still, your hands shake, your heart beats faster, and you feel sick. He glances to the side of him and sighs. Maybe that’s why he’s agreed to the Doc coming along, even though he knows she will be bored. Perhaps it was also because he didn’t want to leave her in the house by herself while Ryan is out with mates and Yaz is at work. Lord knows what she’d do while the TARDIS is out of commission for a while.

“I’ve never been to one of these before,” The Doctor murmurs next to him, pulling him away from his melancholy.

“I don’t expect you have,” Graham replies. “Grace said you don’t go anywhere that’s just initials, and I know you well enough to know you don’t like hospitals.”

The Doctor glances up at him, looking affronted. “That’s not true. I like the little shop,” She smiles. “All hospitals should have a little shop by the front.” She turns away again. “It’s just everything else about them, once got taken to the Moon by Judoon. Martha was there.” She grins. “A Judoon platoon upon the moon is always fun to say.”

Graham gives her a puzzled look before shaking his head and looking forward again. “Well, I was just gonna say that this isn’t a hospital per se, Doc.”

“Then what is it?”

“A clinic,” Graham answers, hands in his pockets as he walks with his friend. “For people like me.”

“Like you?”

Graham flicks his eyes to her; there’s a soft frown on his face. “You remember how I said I was in remission?” She nods. “Well I gotta go for checkups, you see, just to check on it.”

“Your cancer.”

He nods this time. “Yeah, still there, sorta,”

“Sorta?”

“Cancer doesn’t care who you are, Doc, young, old, it doesn’t matter,” Graham shrugs. “And you’re never really cured,” He explains, eyes trained ahead and on the upcoming building. “It can be gone, but still there, the doctors- they never like to say if you’re cured. You’re either a survivor or not. That’s it.”

“So it can come back,”

Graham inclines his head. “Yeah, but that’s what this is for-” He gestures up to the clinic. “-I get checked, signed off and then told to come back in a few months or shorter if I feel anything.”

“And you have to do this?”

Graham reaches for the door handle, holding it open so the Doctor can enter first. “No, I don’t have to do it anything,” He says, making his way into the building. “But I do cause it’s needed.”

The Doctor nods and looks around the clinic; there’s a bunch of seats and one of those little wooden bead things that Graham spots her eyes lingering on. He smiles and shakes his head. He’d be lying if he said he never once fiddled with the toy himself while waiting around. “Go and sit down, Doc,” The Doctor turns back to him with a curious look. “I’m just checking in, that’s all. I’ll join you in a bit.”

Graham watches as the Doctor wanders away from him. He can’t help but smirk when she picks the seat nearest the bead toy. He turns back around to the checking in machine and taps in his birthday and waits for the little prompt to show before turning and heading over to the Doctor. She's already reached her hand out to fiddle with the toy.

“Having fun?”

The Doctor glances up at Graham. “I should get one of these for the TARDIS.”

“For use in general?” He asks. “Or to add onto your console?”

She shrugs at him. "Perhaps both."

He sits down next to her and folds his arms across his chest. “You know, they always tell you to come on time, but you end up waiting.”

“Not good with waiting,” The Doctor murmurs, hand still extending towards the toy. "It's boring."

“Doc, I told you that it’s boring.” Graham reminds, fishing out his phone and looking at the time on it. “But you wanted to come along anyway.”

The Doctor turns to look at him. “I’ve been out with Yaz,” She says, there is a faint smile on her face. “And Ryan took me to watch a film with him the other day, but I haven’t done anything with you so far.”

“This is a doctors appointment though,”

“And?”

“You’ll be bored, Doc,” Graham points out. “It’s really not that interesting.”

The Doctor shrugs at him and turns back to the bead toy. He watches her for a bit, before turning away and looking through his phone, pocketing it when there’s nothing of interest to do on it. They’re currently the only ones in the waiting room, bonus to getting an appointment in the afternoon while everyone’s at work, Graham supposes.

He turns and watches the Doctor again, finding her the most interesting person in this room for the time being. She’s carefully arranged the beads into an order that probably has some meaning or other, but he’s not sure he wants to ask about it. Probably would get a lecture on thermal dynamics or something.

“Graham,” A voice calls out, and he looks up to the nurse. “We’re ready for you now.”

“See you in a bit, Doc,” Graham says, getting up from the seat, he glances over and spots his usual nurse, Chloe, a friend of Grace's.

The Doctor stops her fiddling and looks up at him. “I thought I was coming in with you?”

Graham stares blankly at her. “Why did you think that?” She shrugs at him. “It’s private, look, I won’t be long, okay?” He’ll regret this, but anything to keep her entertained. “Here take my phone, add on that thing you keep badgering me about.” She accepts his new phone with glee, and he turns to head towards the doors.

Chloe smiles at him, her eyes darting to the Doctor behind him. “I didn’t realise you had a daughter, Graham.”

“What?” Graham gives her a blank stare before turning and glancing at the doctor. “Oh,” He looks back. “Yeah, my _daughter_-” He lies, catching himself in something because the truth about her is harder to explain. “She’s come up for a bit to help out, Chloe, you know after Grace and all.”

Chloe’s eyes turn sympathetic. “Is she installing an app for you? I saw you hand your phone over to her.”

“Uh,” Graham says, feeling awkward as she leads him through the doors and towards one of the examination rooms. “Yeah, she’s installing something, dunno what, just said I needed it.”

Chloe smiles at that and holds another door open for him. He walks in, spotting his usual doctor staring at her screen. “Afternoon, Graham,” She says, turning to look at him. “How is everything at home?”

They both know about Grace; both ask how he’s getting on each time. “Fine, _doc-_” He pauses, the name making him think. He focuses back on her face. “Yeah, been fine, really.”

“He’s brought his daughter today,” Chloe says.

“Uh, yeah,” Graham lies again, digging that hole deeper. “Help and stuff.”

“Daughter?” His doctor says with a smile as she gestures for him to take a seat. “Good to have help, Graham,” Graham watches as she brings up his file, the information and jargon on it going entirely over his head. This was easier with Grace here; she would tell them anything that he missed off. Meds, how he’s been feeling, and he allowed her too because it was easier. The ache in his heart grows for her again. “We’re just going to go over the basics, as usual, Graham,” His doctor says, eyes glancing to him. “Bloodwork, that sort of thing.”

“Okay,” Graham replies, sitting back into the chair. He looks over to Chloe, watching her set up everything.

“So, how have you been doing health-wise, Graham?” His doctor asks.

“Same old,” Graham replies with a small smile, while his mind takes him back to what has happened over the last few weeks and months. “You know.” No, she doesn’t, Graham, she really doesn’t know what you’ve been up to.

His doctor nods. “Haven’t felt ill or any weakness since our last visit?”

Graham runs over the last few months in his head. He’s been fine, well felt fine, definitely not been feeling any signs of the cancer coming back. “No, been fine.” Everything else has been physical. The burn on his arm, the bigger one on his right side that still twinges with pain now and then, but apart from that, no cancer.

His doctor smiles at that and turns to face him. “Well, you know how these visits go now, we’re well-practised at it, aren’t we?” She says, hand gesturing towards the bed. “We’ll need to take that blood sample from you, get it sent to the lab.” Graham nods and starts to get up, pausing when his doctor speaks again. “And we’re due a physical examination.”

“Physical?” He asks, suddenly not liking where this is going.

His doctor has turned away again. “Nothing to worry about, but you’re due one according to your records.” She explains. “I’m just going to need you to remove your shirt; it's nothing too invasive.”

There’s a flash of anxiety that runs through him. “Uh, yeah,” Graham replies, getting up and heading over to the bed. He removes his jacket and places it down on the bed. Chloe smiles at as he pauses, hands coming up and hesitating at the top of his shirt. The only thought running through his mind is that his doctor and her will see the scar, the suddenly unexplained burn that wasn’t there the last time he was here. The injury that looks healed. Too healed in the time frame between visits.

“I just want to check your chest, breathing and heart.” His doctor reveals. “That’s all.” Her face is kind and caring. “You look worried, Graham.”

Graham nods, swallowing thickly. He’s not embarrassed by the scars or the burns he has, well he doesn't think he is and yeah, he wishes he didn’t have them or more precisely, he wishes he never got them. The pain throughout healing has been enough and painkillers have barely touched them no matter how many he took. No, what he’s more concerned about is the questions that’ll come as soon as he removes his shirt.

He starts to undo the buttons, mind turning everything over. The one on his left arm, that’s easy, he could say he spilt hot water or dropped something hot on his arm. Easy.

But the one on his hip that travels from his thigh to his ribs, that’s something he can’t explain. The mark itself is jagged and torn, red and indented. Too precise for water, too big to say he dropped something, too-

“Graham, are you okay?” Chloe asks, her voice worried. Her eyes dart behind him.

His hands are trembling, and he shakes his head. “No,” Graham turns and looks towards his doctor. “Do you have to check?”

His doctor frowns as she gets up and comes over to him. “Has something happened, Graham?”

Graham looks down, finding that he’s only managed to undo the top buttons of his shirt. “Something happened, something I can’t explain-” He says. “-I don’t want you to ask about it when you see it, okay?”

Both Chloe and his doctor look to one another. Grace knew Chloe; they were friends back when they worked at the hospital before she came here. It’s half the reason they chose Macmillian because they knew and trusted her, so he knows her face, identifies the concern upon it.

“Graham, it’s all confidential here,” Chloe says. “Nothing will leave this room.”

Graham looks at her and finds nothing but honesty in her eyes, but he can’t help but feel stupid for not realising that they would spot the burn on a check-up. It’s not in his records. There’s nothing saying how he got it or why it suddenly looks healed between his last check-up and this one.

He swallows again and slowly unbuttons his shirt, drawing it out and keeping the scar hidden from view for as long as he can, but the moment he removes it, he sees the surprise on their faces. It’s hardly hidden. They share glances between each other as he stands there, hating it.

“Graham,” His doctor says. “What happ-”

Graham looks at her. “I said I don’t want to talk about it, please.” He puts emphasis on the please, drawing it out. “Just do the check-up.”

She flicks her eyes back to Chloe again, and he knows they’re having a silent conversation. Their medical training tells them that something happened to him, something he's definitely not telling them. The check-up is simple enough, and he stares ahead for it, only responding when his doctor asks him to.

It’s awkward, it’s prolonged, and it’s quiet. His hand clenches by his side, and he feels alone. Grace should be here; she would’ve found an excuse. He’s directed onto the bed, and he knows that they’re staring at him, staring at the marks over him. He’s not ashamed; he’s not embarrassed by them, is he? He’s he’s- why does he feel like he is? But he knows the answer, and it's because he can't tell them.

They stay away from his right side and turn to his left arm to get blood, hands pausing above the burn there, eyes locking against each other again and all he wants to do is to leave. He barely feels the needle going in and drawing blood, as his eyes remained locked on the far wall and mind panicking. Will they report this? Is he going to get someone knocking at his door asking probing questions? They’re judging him, wondering how he got them, but he can’t tell them. Can’t say that he was in an explosion or that he was shot. It would explain it, but it would open up more questions. Ones he doesn’t want to answer or even think about.

“That’s us done, Graham,”

Graham blinks and looks down to his arm, finding that little cotton wool ball taped to his arm. He wastes no time in getting up off the bed, legs feeling weak as hands fumble on the shirt and then the jacket. “Is that everything?” Graham asks, eyes avoiding their gazes.

“Graham,” His doctor says. “It’s all confidential in here.”

“You can speak to us,” Chloe says, hand hovering near him, almost like she wants to touch him, but she isn’t sure. “If it’s too much at home with you-”

“Or if it’s something else,” His doctor says. “They don’t look like accidents.”

“It’s fine,” Graham cuts her off.

“Those wounds-”

Graham stares at her. “I said it’s fine,” He doesn’t mean to snap, but he doesn’t want to speak about it. “Please, I can’t explain to you how I got them, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“What are we thinking?”

Graham shuffles from foot to foot. “It’s nothing-”

“It’s not nothing.”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you how I got them,” Graham says, honestly. “Look, no offence and I get that you’re both doing your jobs, I get that,” He says, voice tempered. “But I’ve asked you not to ask about them, and that’s that.” He looks between them. “I’m here for a cancer check-up, I’m not here to talk about them,” He states. “If that’s everything?”

His doctor and Chloe share another glance with one another, and he knows as soon as he leaves the room, they’ll talk about him.

“We’ll have your results in a few days, Graham,” His doctor says, giving up on pushing him. “But if you need to talk, or if you need-”

Graham waves her off and turns towards the door. “I’m fine,” He says back to them. “I have another Doctor that I can speak to about them.” And he will, maybe from now on, because he’s not doing this again. He doesn’t wait for a response as he reaches for the handle of the door, pulling it open and stepping out into the corridor.

He heads towards the doors that lead to the waiting rooms, hands pulling them open more harshly than necessary. He spots the Doctor looking up from the phone in her hands and then watching him and frowning when he stalks past her and out of the main doors and into the crisp autumn Sheffield air.

“Graham?”

“Don’t, Doc,” Graham says, taking a deep breath and turning to walk away from the clinic.

The Doctor jogs up to him, and she has to walk that little bit faster to keep up with his longer strides. “I really do miss having longer legs,” She mutters next to him, and Graham spots her staring up at him. “What happened, Graham?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Graham says, hands sticking into his pockets. He slows his pace and takes a breath. No, he doesn’t want to talk about it, but she’ll only ask him. “They asked me to remove my shirt.” The Doctor looks confused, and he sighs as he comes to a stop to lean against a nearby wall. “They’ve seen the burns, Doc.”

The Doctor’s expression changes ever so slightly. “Did you tell them how you got them?”

Graham looks up and into her eyes. “Oh, yeah, of course,” He says, sarcasm lacing his words. “_Afternoon Chloe thought you’d like to know that I was in an explosion and got shot._” He snaps, not meaning to and feeling rotten because he did. “Sorry, Doc, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine, Graham,” The Doctor says, now joining him on the wall, her legs swing slightly. “I’m sorry I couldn't stop the scarring.”

Graham turns and faces her. “It’s not your fault, Doc.”

The Doctor shrugs, but he can tell she does blame herself in some form or another. He watches her reach into her coat to pull his phone out. Her eyes are locked against it, and he knows why. It might not be the same one, but it’s the same object. He accepts it off her when she does hand it back without comment.

They’ll talk about this at some point, maybe not now, probably not now actually, but they will at some point. He sighs and places the phone into his jacket. “How about some lunch or something?” Graham suggests. “I know a café not far from here that does an all-day breakfast?”

“That would be nice.” The Doctor says, looking up and smiling at him, it's small, but it's there. “All day breakfast with Graham, never done that before.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Tear-Stained.


	13. Tear-Stained

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i made myself cry

“It’s been a year,” Ryan says, staring at his webcam, he's been talking into it for the last ten minutes, dragging out the real reason he's pulled it out again. “And I miss her, but we’ve done a lot, and I’d know she’ll be proud of me,” He smiles and takes in a shaky breath. “Of us both and how far we’ve come without her.” Ryan laughs and focuses back onto the camera again. “We’re going back up there today.” There’s a pause. “Without the bike this time.” He exhales. "There's a bench up there for her. She loved it there, and we both thought it was the right thing to do for her-"

“Ryan?”

Ryan turns and looks towards his door, eyes darting back to his camera as a hand fumbles for the mouse to pause the recording. “Yeah?” He replies, waiting for a reply from his grandad and then groaning when he gets nothing. "Great timing, gramps," He mutters to himself as he gets up and makes his way over to the door and then to the stairs. "Gramps?" Nothing, he sighs and takes a step down. “You called?”

Graham appears at the bottom of the stairs, coat, shoes, and West Ham scarf on, looking anxious. “I’ve been calling you.”

“You called once.”

“You didn’t reply.” Ryan stares at his grandad with a deadpan look, blinking slowly and decides against saying '_Actually, gramps, you'll find I did respond-_'. “Anyway, you’re here now, we’re going soon,” Graham says, turning away and then glancing back again. “Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready for a while,” Ryan answers as he makes his way down the stairs. “I just need to get my shoes on.” Graham nods and turns away, still looking nervous, and there's someone else about him that's _off_. His hands tap at his side, and his feet shuffle. Yaz says he’s terrible at fidgeting, well she's never seen his grandad when he's nervous or something. “Gramps.”

“Yeah?”

“It’ll be fine,” Ryan says, glancing over as he bends and picks up his shoes. "We won't be there for long."

“I know it will be.”

Ryan stares at him as he makes his way past and into the front room. He’ll leave him alone for the time being, well leave mentioning the hill alone for the time being. “You know when the Doctor and Yaz will be here?” Graham makes his way into the living, and Ryan watches as the older man stops, half turned towards his usual seat, but eyes locked onto the mantelpiece. He looks tired, older somehow, and it’s almost like Graham doesn’t realise that he’s in the room with him, watching him. Ryan frowns and he can’t help but wonder if this is what he’s like when he’s alone. “Gramps?”

Graham turns to Ryan, surprised almost. “What?”

“I asked you do you know when the Doctor and Yaz will be here?”

“Uh,” Ryan watches as Graham turns to glance at the clock, it takes him a while to reply again, and Ryan knows there's definitely something playing on his mind now. “They said they'd be here around ten-ish,” He pauses. “Yaz is taking us in her car.”

Ryan turns back to his shoes again and slips them on. He glances back up to his grandad. His back is turned to him, and his shoulders are slumped. He’s been like this since his check-up, refused to speak about it. Ryan asked the Doctor, but she just sighed. He continues to watch his grandad, frowning when the older man reaches a hand out to the mantlepiece. Ryan half expected him to take a picture off, but he doesn't, he leans against it and brings his other-

Ryan’s eyes widen a fraction when he notices that Graham isn’t just leaning against the mantelpiece for no reasons. He listens to him, hearing the quiet sobs and he’s at a loss of what to actually do right now. He knows Graham has cried, but he’s always put on a brave face around him. Shoved his feelings down and allowed them to bottle. The older man has always done it, but he’s never released it in front of him. Never wanted to cause him to worry is Ryan's thinking anyway.

Ryan stands and hovers, fingers tapping against thumbs. He sucks in a breath and takes a step towards his grandad, hand reaching out for the older man's shoulder. “Gramps-” Graham flinches and turns, eyes red and Ryan watches as he tries to cover it with a sniff. “It’s alright, you know.”

Graham closes his eyes and takes a breath before looking up at Ryan. “Didn’t really want you to see me like this.” He points at his face. "It's been a rough few weeks."

“Tell me about it," Ryan says, but his expression turns sympathetic. "Why not?”

"Why not, what?"

"Don't try to hide it, Gramps," Ryan says. "You know what I'm asking."

Graham shrugs at him, eyes turning to look at the many pictures of Grace on the wall and sides. “Should be there for you, not the other way round, shouldn't let you see me breakdown.”

Ryan follows his gaze, throat constricting as well. He’ll cry soon enough if he’s not already doing it. “That's bollocks, and you know it is,” He says, bringing a hand up to his eyes and wiping them. "We're sposed to be here for each other, and that means sharing the burden," He states. "You shouldn't bottle it up; Nan wouldn't want you to." Ryan smiles, well tries to. “You know, if the Doctor and Yaz turn up now and we look like this, they’re gonna wonder what happened.”

Graham snorts, half laughter, half crying, but one complete mess. “That’s true,” He says, this time reaching out and picking up a picture. Ryan follows his hand and notices that it’s their wedding day. “She looked stunning on that day.”

Ryan looks over his shoulder, eyes fixated on his Nan’s smiling face. “She did,” He says. “You scrubbed up as well, I guess-”

“Oi,” Graham replies, turning slightly to stare at him. “Nah, she looked great, though.” His eyes flick down to the picture again. “I was just glad I had hair, that’s all I really wanted on the day, it was my biggest fear as the day drew closer and closer.”

Ryan’s mind travels back, pulling up the memories of what Graham looked like. The Doctor and Yaz are lucky they never saw him like that. All gaunt, no hair, weak and- “You both looked great,” He says, pulling his mind back. “I wish I was a bit better to you on the day, less of an asshole.”

"Kinda deserved it though, wasn't the best then," Graham says as he shrugs. “All that mattered to your Nan on the day, son, was that you were there-” His brows furrow. “Unlike others she invited.”

“I guess,” Ryan says, he feels the wetness on his cheeks. A mirror image to his grandad he supposes. Tear-stained. He fidgets, feet shuffling and then mind deciding. Ryan reaches out to his grandad and pulls the older man into a hug, one that he returns after a moment of standing still. “We’ve done her proud; you know that?”

Ryan feels Graham pat his back. It should feel awkward, but it doesn’t, and yeah, he’d never hug him in front of his mates, but he hugged his nan, so why should it be any different with the man he calls his grandad? They’re family, and they’re both currently missing the woman they love — a nan to one, a wife to the other.

“She’s up there, probably surrounded by frogs you know, smiling down on us,” Graham murmurs into his shoulder. “The two men in her life.”

“Wished she was here to see it,”

“She knows, son, she knows,” Graham says. "And she's proud of us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Pinned down.


	14. Pinned Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this was gonna go in a different manner

The moment the shots rang out, the Doctor pulled her friends to the ground, hands grabbing at jackets and yanking them behind a wall. She got two; she doesn’t know who, but she got two of them. The other, she can only hope they managed to get down. Her eyes flick to her hands. Two leather jackets gripped tightly within them. Two leather jackets, one reddish and one brown that means-

Her eyes scan them, keen eyes looking at Graham and then at Yaz, both currently lost and shocked at the sudden jolt and then-

_Ryan_.

The Doctor lets go instantly; she keeps her body low to the ground as she moves across it. Like a snake, sly and hidden under the low wall that's acting as their shield. “Ryan,” She whispers, voice drowned out by the gunfire. “Ryan-”

The younger man has his hand held against his shoulder. It’s slick and wet and- she’s shoved out of the way as another person reaches them. “Ryan, mate,” Graham speaks, fast and panicked. “Shit-”

The Doctor moves quick and pulls the older man back to the floor just as the shots fire again. “Keep your head down!”

Graham stares at her, eyes wide. There’s fear in them, but also anger at being dragged down and shouted at. “He’s been shot-”

“_And you will be too if you don’t keep your head down!_” The Doctor snaps, cutting him off. Her gaze is icy and thunderous. “Move-” She doesn’t mean to bark at him or push him out of the way, but he’s in her way, and Ryan is shot. She needs to check him, that’s her priority at the moment, being polite can take a back seat right now. “-Ryan, look at me.”

Ryan gaze is unfocused; his breathing is rapid. Scared, in pain- “Ryan,” The Doctor says again, forcibly and firm. “I need you to breathe.” She waits and relaxes somewhat when he finally turns to her, head nodding. “Good,” She mumbles, voice calming while her anxiety builds within. “I’m going to look at your shoulder, okay?” She waits and proceeds forward when Ryan nods his head again.

She gently removes his hands and then edges the cloth of his jacket and t-shirt over. The wound, It’s small, it's bleeding, but it’s his right shoulder, and people can survive being shot in the shoulder. She runs her hands over the top of his chest and then onto his back, feeling for an exit wound and exhaling with relief when she finds none. “The bullet is still in you,” The Doctor informs him, herself, the group? She doesn’t know; she’s just glad it’s not forced its way out of his back. She pulls out her sonic and aims it at his shoulder and sends thanks to the stars when she finds the bullet not resting on anything vital. Her brain tells her it’s just a flesh wound. It’s not hit an organ or lodged itself in his neck, or even a bone. He's lucky, and if they keep track of the bleeding, then she or another doctor will be able to remove it once they're in safety.

The Doctor glances to Graham and then to Yaz, finding her low to the ground and watching with worried eyes. “Yaz,” She says, drawing the younger woman’s attention. “I’m going to need you to apply pressure-” Yaz nods and makes her way over, her body never moving higher than a crawl. “Graham, your shirt-”

The older man looks at her, his eyes still hold that simmering anger, but they’ll cross that bridge later. He obliges and shrugs off his jacket, as hands remove the blue shirt he has on, leaving him in only a white t-shirt that he had on underneath it. “He gonna be alright?” The older man snaps.

The Doctor ignores the hostile tone directed at her. “He’ll be fine,”

“Cause if he isn’t-”

“Graham,” The Doctor snaps, eyes locked against his. “He’ll be fine; it’s a flesh wound.” And that was evidently the wrong thing to say judging by the look levelled at her by Graham.

“Once we’re out of here,” Graham says, voice devoid of warmth. “And Ryan is safe, you and me are talking.”

Yaz flicks her eyes between them and then to Ryan, who is doing the same. “I think Ryan is our main concern right now,” She says, making both of them look at her. "Whatever you two want to say to one another can wait until after Ryan is safe."

Graham nods, eyes lingering on the Doctor for a moment before he makes his way over to his grandson, keeping low. “How you doing, son?”

“Could be better,” Ryan mumbles in reply. He reaches out a hand to Graham, who takes his hand, disregarding the blood upon it. “Don’t fight with the Doctor, Gramps,” Graham frowns at Ryan. “She’s done nothing wrong-”

“You’re shot-”

“And she didn’t do it, did she?” Ryan says, cutting him off and then groaning. “You’re scared; you always get like this when you’re scared.” He states. “Turn into a right asshole.”

Yaz flicks her eyes up to Graham, and she sees the chastised expression on his face, but there is a stubborn look to him as well. “Doctor, can you get us out of here?” She asks, wanting to move from the dangerous position they’re in.

The Doctor takes her eyes away from Graham and looks to Yaz. “Too small to summon the TARDIS and she doesn’t like me doing that-” She says, rattling off their options as gunfire tears over their heads. “-I need a phone.” Graham pulls his out of his pocket and throws it over to her, a little harshly, but she’s really not in the mood for him at the moment. “I’m going to hack into their radios-” She mumbles, sonic out and aimed at the mobile. "Got it." She waits and then she hears the crackle over it. “_You’re firing over civilian targets_-” The Doctor barks down the phone, voice sounding like a practised soldier and making Graham look at her again.

There’s a pause, and then a voice calls out. “_Who is this?_”

“_It doesn’t matter who I am,_” The Doctor replies. “_What matters is that your men are shooting over a sector that isn’t clear,_” Her eyes flick to Ryan. “_A civilian has been injured._”

“_They said this sector was clear of civilian targets, only hostile ones remained-_”

“_Well they didn’t check hard enough, did they?_”

Another pause, voices on the other end and- “_Copy, we’re sending troops to your position._” And then the line cuts out. She throws the mobile back to Graham, just as harshly as he did to her and turns to face Ryan. “Helps on its way, Ryan.”

The younger man nods back at her just as she and Graham lock eyes again. She purposely ignores him as they wait for aid.

-

She walks, hands clenched in her pockets. Ryan shouldn’t have been shot; she should’ve grabbed him as well. She wants to lash out because she’s tired now, oh so tired, no matter what she does, something happens.

Someone gets hurt.

Something goes wrong.

And she’s left to pick up the- she swings at the wall, anger bleeding into pain.

“Does punching the wall help?” She takes in a deep breath. She doesn’t want to do this now. Not here, not when she’s angry. “Or are you just hiding-”

“Go back, Graham,” She spits out.

“I don’t think I will.”

The Doctor opens and closes the hand that met the wall, the shooting pain slowly fading as she looks up and into the older man's blue eyes. “I said, go back.”

“You can’t order me around,” Graham replies, voice matching her icy tone. “Not like you ordered those soldiers anyway.” She narrows her eyes at that. “I saw how you spoke to them, like a drill sergeant, and they followed your orders without question.”

“What are you insinuating, Graham?” The Doctor asks, and she spots the slight movement to his feet, like he’s already on the backfoot. “Come on, answer; you’ve come here with a plan, so answer, what are you insinuating?”

“You’re a soldier,” Graham says in a matter of fact tone. “My dad, he spoke like you do and like his dad before him.” There is a pause, and it’s noticeable as they stand apart, eyes locked against the other. “Like they spoke to me.”

The Doctor considers him. She could lie and say she was scared and fear changes you, or she could tell him the truth because he’s not daft, he’s worked it out. Every part of her that she was hiding, or not revealing.

“Like you were with that Dalek.”

She slipped then, and he’s only now putting two and two together and coming up with the right conclusion.

“And with that bastard,” Graham spits, and she doesn’t need to know who he’s referencing. “You’re a soldier.” Her lack of response confirms it. She knows it, and so does he.

“I don’t try to be-”

“You said you were a traveller,” Graham interrupts.

“I am, Graham,” She says truthfully. “I am a traveller."

"But a soldier as well." He says. “It’s how you managed all those times we were hurt; you were focused because you know, you know what to do when shit hits the proverbial fan.”

“What are you going to do, Graham?”

“Nothing, not much I can do, is there?” Graham says, and he gestures widely looking lost and lied to. “I thought you wanted me to be the better man,” He says. “You told me not to kill that monster, but you’re a soldier, that means you would’ve killed things, doesn't it?” She nods, eye darting away from his. “Why?”

“Why, what?”

“Why, if you killed before then why didn’t you let me kill him? Why did you make that ultimatum to me?” Graham asks. “You would’ve kicked me from the TARDIS if I did.”

The Doctor closes her eyes and takes a breath, steadying the rapid beating of her hearts as she looks back into his eyes. “Because I needed you to be the better man, Graham, that was true.” She reveals. “I couldn’t have you become like me.” She steps towards him. “You’re not like that, Graham, you’re a bus driver from Sheffield, you didn’t have to become that person, become like me. That’s why.”

“You didn’t want me to be a killer.” She nods, and he sighs. “You could’ve told us.”

“Told you what?” She says. “That I killed things?” Graham shrugs at her, and she sighs, defeat evident on her body. “It was a new start for me, you three knew nothing about me,” She looks away from him. “I could pretend to be someone else, someone that my previous self wanted me to be.” She turns away and heads over to a window. “I was a fool for thinking that it would last, that I could keep with the charade because I always slip back into old habits.”

Graham joins her by the window. “I’ve done things too, Doc, things I’m not proud off and things where I’ve hurt people.” He glances to her. “We both have things we don’t speak about.”

And she stares back at him, waiting to see if he’ll tell her, but he doesn’t, he stares ahead leaving her wondering what he means. "Maybe we do." She mutters as she turns back to the window to watch the raindrops running down it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> "Stay with me."
> 
> what has graham done that he doesn't want to speak about? :)


	15. "Stay with me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "hey, I haven't killed-"
> 
> yeah that brought this one on

“Come on, Yaz,” The Doctor whispers, hands caressing the younger woman’s face. “Stay with me.” The Doctor lowers her head down to Yaz’s, foreheads barely touching, but she feels the fading warmth. “Please.” She doesn’t get a reply, not that she expected one. “I can’t lose you, I can’t lose again.” She whispers.

She vaguely hears footsteps behind her, but she doesn’t turn. The Doctor’s eyes remain locked on Yaz’s expressionless face and the growing stain of blood on the back of her head. "_Please_."

“Doc?” She hears Graham’s voice, shaky and then his knees are on the ground next to them. "Oh my god-"

“Doctor?” Ryan says, thumping down as well. “Is she-”

“No,” The Doctor murmurs, head lifting slightly as her hand brushes away the Yaz's lose hair. “I can save her-” She says. “It’ll cost me, but that’s not important, she is, and I can save her-”

And then she leans down again, lips pressing against Yaz’s, eyes closing as she pulls at the energy that runs through her. It’s reluctant to move, but she doesn’t care as she yanks it from within her core and pushes it out and towards Yaz. Thin golden strands exit from her mouth, wisping in the air as she pulls away and she urges them forward and into Yaz’s fading light. She watches as they enter through her mouth, the golden glow runs across the human that has woven her way into her hearts, made her feel that love that she was so sure she'd never feel again. It bleeds outwards, slowly, but surely making it’s way to the head wound.

“What have you-” She hears Graham say, and then his question dies on his lips when the golden threads start to heal the gruesome wound. “Bleeding hell.”

She pays him no mind as her eye remain locked on Yaz’s face. She watches as the colour comes back and then exhales when she takes that first intake of breath, the slight twitch to her hands, and it's-

_Life_.

And she cries, hands shaking as they hold onto her. She’s not sure what that will cost her in the future, but none of it matters. Yaz is alive; she's breathing, she's- Oh, she's going to pass out in-

“We’ll need help to the TARDIS,” The Doctor mumbles, feeling drained and exhausted. “Probably will need to be-”

The last thing she feels before darkness hits are two pair of hands gently lowering her towards the ground, quiet voices and then blissful nothing.

* * *

The first thing she hears is hushed voices coming from above them: one worried, one trying to reassure, both very familiar to her ears.

The Doctor's eyes flutter open, and she instantly recognises the TARDIS interior when the ancient machine brushes her mind.

“Gramps-”

“I told you she'll be alright-”

The Doctor frowns and raises her head to look at her two friends; both stood awkwardly at the end of a bed? This is puzzling. “What happened?”

“I dunno-” Ryan starts. “Yaz was really hurt, and you glowed like you did back in our house-” He rattles off in quick succession. "You did something and then passed out-"

“Oh,” The Doctor says, looking around the medical bay, confused. Her eyes land on the still form of Yaz and the memories come crashing back like a freight train. She feels hands on her as soon as she tries to get up, head spinning from the effort. “I need to-”

“No,” Graham says. “What you need is to stay in this bed,” He says as his eyes dart to Yaz. “I haven’t the foggiest clue at what you did, but whatever it was, saved her but knocked you for six like Ryan said, you need to stay in bed, Doc.”

The Doctor tries to move, finding her energy waning. “Is she-” Her eyes focus on Yaz. “Is she- Is-”

“She’s fine, Doctor,” Ryan says, saving her from asking the question she never wants to ask. He pauses and then smirks as she looks to him. “You kissed her.”

Did she? Her eyes widen slightly, face turning red when she spots the two identical smug looks on her friends. “I did it to-”

“We’re happy for you two, truly, Doc,” Graham says, hand squeezing hers. “You’re great together.”

“How did you-”

Ryan laughs and nudges his grandad. “We’re not blind, mate, we’ve both seen you two making eyes at each other.”

Graham shrugs slightly. “Couldn’t miss it, love.”

“You’re not-” Her eyes drift to Yaz. “Concerned?”

“Why would we be concerned?”

The Doctor's eyes stay locked on Yaz’s face. She sees the life to her, the vibrant colour of her dark skin. “If she weren’t-” She blinks, eyes wet. “If we weren’t together-”

“Doc,” Graham says, his hand holding hers firmly. “We’ve spoken about this you and I, let us not do it again, alright?” Ryan nods with his grandad. “Look, we’ll leave you two alone now, but the TARDIS informed us that Yaz probably won’t be waking up for a few more hours.” Graham frowns. “If what I read on that screen of yours was correct.”

“Get some rest, mate,” Ryan says. “There’ll be plenty of time for kissing-” He shuts as Graham shoots him a warning glare and a shake of the head and then the older man is pulling him from the room.

“Rest, Doc,” Graham says at the doorway. “If I have to come back cause you’ve got out that bed and then promptly fell on your ass I ain’t gonna be happy cause I had to lug you back here.”

The Doctor frowns at that. “What?”

“I carried Yaz,” Ryan says. “Gramps carried you, but complained the entire trip-”

“I didn’t complain-”

“_My back is gonna kill tomorrow_, ring any bells?”

The Doctor blinks at them when she realises that they’re currently bickering with each other as they move from the medical bay. She watches them and then turns back to Yaz again. Graham is right, if she tries to get up, she will fall, but he never said anything about not reaching a hand out to the younger woman. It’s a stretch, but she manages in the end. The warmth of her skin is a welcome relief and one she’s not going to forget anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Muffled Scream.


	16. Muffled Scream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slight horror?

Their heads shoot up, eyes fixated on where the sudden noise came from. Sweat beads at their foreheads, hearts are thumping within their chests. Minds terrified that the creature or whatever it is can hear them beating. Graham flicks his eyes to the Doctor and then to Ryan and Yaz.

They all know what that noise was.

A scream, muffled and in the distance away from them. The owner of it dead. Which now means that it is coming for them. Whatever it is, it moves fast, the slightest hint of noise and you’re gone, claws embedded in you as it drags you down and tears you apart. They watched it happen in front of them.

The Doctor warned him, motioned for the man they didn’t know to shut up, but he didn’t, and they watched, unable to move, unable to help, and unable to make a sound as he was torn limb from limb right in front of them. It was only Yaz’s quick thinking, her hand wrapping around an object and then throwing with as much strength as she could that allowed them to escape. The sound of it forcing the creature away from them.

The Doctor’s right hand grips onto Graham’s left and her left holds onto Ryan’s right. ‘_We have to keep moving_’ She mentally communicates to them. The radio silence from Yaz is painful, but she can only hold two hands and the younger woman nodded that she’s okay, that’s she’s the best lip reader out of them all and that it makes sense for her to follow.

‘_The Doctor is right,_’ Ryan thinks. ‘_The TARDIS isn’t far, is it?_’

‘_No, not much further-_’ The Doctor replies over the bond. Her eyes flick to Yaz, her expression keenly watching them. “We’re moving.” She mouths. Yaz blinks, and the Doctor knows she understands. She's capable, and she can trust the young police officer.

The Doctor turns again, feet moving across the soil and dirt of whatever forest they’re in. She takes a breath, not deep, but enough as she takes a step forward, hands pulling Graham and Ryan with her. She glances back and sees that Graham has reached his free hand out to Yaz.

The moment his hand touches her, the Doctor can feel the bearest touch of her mind. It’s gentle but muted. They can’t speak, but if she pushes herself she could touch her soul, send calming-

The sound of thrashing ceases her thoughts. It’s coming closer; maybe hearing isn’t the only sense it relies on. Smell could be a factor, but she never wasted time to scan the creature. The noise from the sonic would’ve signed her death warrant, and she likes the body she has right now.

But the Doctor wishes she knew what it was. The fear she feels is familiar and so very close to one that took two dear friends from her, but this is flesh and hellish, not stone and angelic. ‘_Keep moving, fam._’

They step again, and it sounds loud to them. Leaves are crunching under feet, breath hitching with each step, but they keep going, sweat fully running down their faces now, dripping down their backs.

‘_Doc,_’ Graham thinks, and she feels the fear from the older man, it eats at her, and she wants to release his hand. ‘_You don’t think we’re the last here, do you?_’

‘_I don’t know, Graham,_’ She answers with honesty. There have been no more screams in the distance or cries of terror, it’s just been quiet, and it sets her on edge. She doesn’t do quiet. The only sound moving through the forest is them and it, and neither one are making that much noise at the given time. ‘_The TARDIS isn’t far now._’

They continue forward, legs aching from the slow walk, feet hurting from the forest floor. The Doctor glances behind again and offers a small smile to Yaz. Something to get across that she’s not forgotten her, even if they can’t speak directly like she can with Graham and Ryan. They just need to get to the TARDIS, that’s it, they’re safe there. She can take them away, or come back when she knows what the creature hunting them-

She whips her head to Yaz, eyes wide in fear at the sound playing from her trouser pocket.

She faces forward again, hands dragging Graham and Ryan along with Graham pulling Yaz while the sound of the creature gets nearer and nearer. A tree is crashing — a loud snarl. Animals crying out as Yaz fumbles for the ringing phone, drenched hands cancelling the call labelled ‘Mum’ in a frantic manner.

There’s no point in being quiet now, not when it knows where they are.

“MOVE!” The Doctor yells, pushing them forward. She makes a grab for Yaz, hand wrapping in hers.

And they run, lungs screaming from the strain as panicked breaths hardly give them the oxygen they need. ‘Get to the TARDIS’ is the only thought that runs through her mind, and that of her friends she reckons.

“Ryan,” She hears Graham shout from the side of her, his feet twisting and skidding and turning back to grab at his grandson. “I got you-”

It’s a blur; it’s fast, so fast and then he’s gone from her line of sight for a brief moment horror hits her '_You've got another killed-_' The sound of his voice or shout of pain has never been a bigger relief to her. “Graham-” It snaps it’s face to her as she says his name. Its face is all blank save for the snarling, blood-stained mouth, teeth sharp and long. It raises it’s clawed hand towards her, ready to swipe and stopping suddenly when-

“Oi.” She hears Yaz yell. “Get away from them-”

The Doctor flicks her eyes to Yaz and then back to the creature and to Graham’s form held beneath its body. Clawed feet are digging into him, and a slash across his chest.

It snarls at Yaz and moves off her friend, legs bending and ready to launch-

“Hey!” Ryan barks, drawing its attention and the Doctor clocks on to what they’re doing and her hearts swell with pride at their quick thinking. “Get away from my grandad,” His voice is worried, it shakes, and she can see the fear radiating off the young lad.

“Keep distracting it,” The Doctor commands, voice loud and as predicted making it look at her. “I might be able to-” It swings, and she dodges, but it’s not enough, and she feels claws rake across her upper right shoulder. The blood blooms quickly across her grey coat.

“Doctor?!” Yaz shouts, turning the creature to her. “Are you okay?” She asks, stepping back and edging from the slashes aimed towards her.

“Fine,” The Doctor murmurs, not fine. It stings and burns, and it’s increasing. She drags in a breath, shaky and pained. If this is what she’s feeling, then what must Graham be feeling, her wound is focused upon her shoulder. His is directly across his chest- Her left-hand fumbles for her sonic as the blood trails down her right sleeve. “Keep it busy-” She rasps out, eyes closing for a second.

“Gramps-”

“Ryan, don’t go near him-”

It shadow filters across her peripheral vision, edging between her two younger human friends.

“He’s bleeding-”

“And if you go-” Yaz calls outs, and she looks up just as the younger woman bends, the clawed hand going just over her head. “If you go near him-” She jumps back. “Then it will go near him as _well_.”

Ryan swears and draws the creature away from Yaz as the Doctor fiddles with her sonic, trying to find what she thinks will be the right setting. “You hurt my-”

“Ryan,” Yaz yells, making it turn to her again. “Doctor, whatever you’re planning-” She dodges again, but the Doctor can tell that she’s getting tired. They both are, and Graham is writhing on the ground, legs kicking out and hands clenching together. She can see the struggle on his face; he’s fighting, everything within him is telling him to yell, to scream, make any noise to make it easier to kill you, because she feels the same. “Do it now.”

“I’m on it,” The Doctor replies, hoping that this will work. She looks up, finding the creature facing her; clawed hand raised as she presses down the button on her sonic. The noise is high pitched and loud to her. She sees Ryan and Yaz holding their hands on their heads, but what they’re doing is minor compared to the creature in front of her.

It’s crying out, clawed hands digging at its head. If the buzzing is loud to them, then it’s deafening to the monster in front of her. She doesn’t let her thumb of the sonic as she steps closure towards it. Killing- she doesn’t kill, but it swiped at her, tore into her shoulder. Her eyes flick to Graham, and he’s still fighting that urge-

The Doctor fixates back onto the creature again as she walks even closer, face twisting into a snarl of her own. She presses the sonic against its head, and it whimpers, taloned feet kicking into the loose soil.

“Doctor-” She digs it in deeper, mind pushing her own pain to the back of it. “Doctor!” Yaz says again, hand grabbing her arm and snapping her back to reality. “Leave it alone-”

“It hurt-” She spits. “It killed-”

“It did,” Yaz says. “But Graham is injured, leave it and help us help him.”

The Doctor blinks, pulling herself away from that rage and then turning to look at her older human friend again. “Graham,” She speaks, eyes darting to the sonic as she forces it into Yaz’s hand. “Hold it-” She can see that Yaz wants to argue, but they don’t have any other options right now.

She makes her way over to him, hands reaching out and looking over the wounds. They’re deep, but he won’t bleed out. It’s the burning that worries her because that’s what hurts the most and he’s still fighting that urge to cry out, but it’s failing, and she flinches when he finally loses the silent battle.

Its blood curdling and a sound she never wanted to hear any of them make. Ryan is there in an instant, hands gripping onto Graham like they would offer comfort from the fire burning within him. She struggles to hold her own fire back.

“What’s happening?” Ryan demands.

“Claws,” The Doctor murmurs, eyesight spinning slightly. “Must be coated in something-” She grunts out. "I feel the same."

“Like a poison?”

“I don’t know,” The Doctor says, truthfully. She sways from her kneeled position.

“Can you stop it?”

The Doctor snaps her head to Ryan, eyes wide and face twisting in pain like he just woke her up. “I don’t know-” She snaps and turns her eyes back to Graham. There’s only one thing she can do. It won’t stop the burning, but he’ll be spared the pain from it. She reaches her hands out to his head, and she forces her way into his mind. ‘_Sleep_’ She orders forcibly, exhaling with relief when the older man falls unconscious.

“What have you done?” Ryan asks, hand reaching out to Graham’s neck.

The Doctor sags down against the older man, right arm ablaze. “TARDIS,” She mutters.

“What about the creature?” Yaz asks, hand still holding the sonic towards it.

The Doctor lifts her head up, eyes trained on it as she extends her left hand to Yaz. “Sonic,” Yaz frowns and hands it over, the buzzing picks up again, growing louder.

“What are you-” Yaz says, eyes flicking between it and the woman she loves. “Doctor, stop-”

The Doctor doesn’t, she glares. Eyes hard, jaw clenched tight shut, and thumb white from the pressure held against the sonic.

“Doctor-”

She doesn’t let up, she only pushes it forward and forward until the creature stops it’s twitching and until it stops moving altogether. The Doctor lowers the sonic and then grips at her right shoulder as she falls back, legs giving up supporting her.

Ryan and Yaz share a glance with one another, both turning and looking at the now-dead creature. Yaz turns back to her first, face a mixture of fear and shock. “You killed it.” The younger woman states. “You- you killed it.”

The Doctor stares back. “I did what was necessary-” She grunts out, brows creasing in pain. “-to protect you all.”

"That's not an-"

"TARDIS," The Doctor interjects. "First." She breathes out, eyes flicking to the dead creature. "Second, we'll talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Recoup.
> 
> (I added this one because I feel like they'd need one after this)


	17. Recoup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i added recoup

He’s tired. Hardly slept, because how could you when your grandad is once again lying in a hospital bed? He's terrified every time it happens.

And, unfortunately, you also can’t sleep when the woman that told you never to use guns, never to kill, always to be the better person just killed something in front of you. Not because she had to because it was them or it, they could’ve just kept the sonic locked on it, made it so it couldn’t chase them anymore.

No, she killed it because she wanted to. That look in her eyes, she was taking revenge on it for hurting Graham and chasing them.

Ryan leans down; arms rested against his knees. It’s a mess. It's been turned into a great big confusion because he doesn't blame her, it did hurt his grandad, could've killed him, but she told him never to use guns. He sighs and stares at the floor. It really is a fucking mess, he thinks with a sigh.

And they didn’t speak when they brought his grandad into the TARDIS. Unconscious and out of it, his blood congealed across his chest and abdomen where it's taloned feet dug in. Or when they placed him in the bed, eyes watching as the Doctor dabs something across his injuries and then hers. Her face is twisting in pain, hand clenching tight. They didn't speak when the cream started to heal the wounds.

And they didn’t speak when she turned and left the room, Yaz watching and then chasing after her.

_They didn’t speak._

And they normally would, no matter how dire or drab the situation was, they spoke, little insights, just _something_. Over someone lying in a bed, or one hand reaching out to another, they spoke.

He left not long after the Doctor and Yaz. Couldn’t bear to look his grandad. Skin ashen and hair damp, face twitching while his body fights off the venom running through it. Ryan doesn’t know what it is, and neither did the Doctor.

Hell, they didn’t even know what the creature _was_.

And he really doesn’t care to know because what’s truly troubling him is the part that agrees with what the Doctor did. How she killed it and took revenge on it for hurting his grandad, but that other part of him? The rational side, the one that doesn’t work on emotions, is telling him that she broke her rule.

But didn’t she say her rules change all the time? A part of him whispers, and he wonders about how true that is. Does it depend on the creature? Depend on how much it hurt them? Or is it a different factor altogether? Something he’ll never know?

Ryan squeezes his eyes shut, head pounding from the rampant thoughts running through it. He hates to think what his grandad is gonna say when he wakes up. ‘_Be the better man_’ that’s what she said-

_And yet, she wasn’t._

* * *

“Doctor-” Yaz says, feet jogging after her. “Wait-” The Doctor, for the most part, does slow enough, allowing Yaz to catch up to her. “I need to know why?”

The Doctor walks, left hand pressed against her shoulder. The coat was thrown in the medical bay, she'll fix it at some point, but it's not important now, not really. She’s just in her torn t-shirt, patches of dry blood cover it as they do her hands. Her’s and Graham’s. “To protect you all.” She answers Yaz's question after a moment. "That's it."

Yaz eyes narrow. “No, that’s not good enough, I want you to explain why you killed it.”

The Doctor stops and turns to face Yaz. She sees the hurt and confusion in the younger woman’s eyes. _Betrayal_. “You were all in danger,” The Doctor starts to say. “It hurt Graham, nearly killed him; I had to stop it.”

“You did stop it,” Yaz counters. “All we had to do was keep the sonic on, that was all.”

“And?”

Yaz frowns. “What?”

The Doctor looks away and then she leans back against the wall of the corridor they’re in, brows furrowing together in pain and frustration from the burning inside her. Her body is working through the toxin a lot faster than Graham’s is, bonus points to not being human she supposes. She can only be thankful that he’s asleep, that he isn’t feeling this at all.

“Doctor, I need to know why-”

“It hurt him,” The Doctor says, voice cutting Yaz off as she turns her head up to look at her. “It nearly hurt you, nearly killed you-” Yaz eyes soften a fraction. “You dodged, but its clawed hand was mere inches from your head-” The Doctor looks away, eyes closing in one part pain and one part tiredness. “It killed countless others over the years-” She exhales. “-Whatever it was, it didn’t deserve to live.”

Yaz hand comes up and hesitates in the air. “You said you never kill-”

“I didn’t say that.” The Doctor reveals. "Never did."

“What?”

The Doctor raises her head and looks back at Yaz. “I never said that, Yaz, I said I didn’t like guns, but I never said I didn’t kill or haven’t killed before.”

“Doctor,” Yaz says, expression softening even further. “But you, you said you never use guns.” She frowns. "If didn't use guns-"

“I don’t, Yaz,” The Doctor replies. “And you know that’s not the only way to hurt someone-” She doesn’t need to say or mention the sonic. “-I try to be a traveller, Yaz, that's all, but things have happened over my years.”

“Does anyone else know?”

The Doctor holds onto her shoulder and winces. The healing cream is working, but the flesh wound is the least of her worries. “Graham figured it out.”

Yaz looks surprised at that, eyes widening by a fraction. “He did?”

“He figured I was a soldier on account of how I spoke to the ones that helped Ryan out when we were pinned down,” The Doctor answers with the truth. “I never meant to keep it hidden from you three, but-” She sighs. “-It was a fresh start for me,” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes, and it lacks her usual mannerisms. “I could be someone that would make my previous self proud, but look where that got me.”

Yaz watches her for a moment, hand still raised and then she makes her decision and steps towards the Doctor. “I understand.”

“Do you?” The Doctor mumbles, eyes now locked onto the grated floor. “I lied to you-” She says. “I lied to all three of you.”

“But we never asked,” Yaz says, her hand finally reaching the Doctor. “And don’t get me wrong, what you did was scary and-” She sighs, hand moving from her left shoulder and onto the Doctor’s face. “-If Graham can forgive you, even after he figured it out and after that whole business with Tzim-Sha,” Yaz says. “And trust me, I’ll ask him about it when he wakes up-” She states. “Then maybe I can as well.”

“I never wanted to lie to you,” The Doctor says. “Truly, I didn’t, but it was easier to hide.”

Yaz sighs again, eyes straying to the slightly healed but raw wound on the Doctor’s right shoulder. “It’s Ryan you’ll have to convince, Doctor, but maybe Graham will be able to talk to him.” She says. “Now come on, you shouldn’t be walking around with that-” She gestures to the wound. “-You need to rest.”

The Doctor nods, hearts thumping in her chest as Yaz places her arm under her left shoulder. Maybe it’s not ruined between them. “I’m sorry that you had to see that side of me, Yaz,” She says.

“Yeah, well, you can make it up to me and Ryan, I suppose,” Yaz says, trying to sound slightly upbeat, but failing. “And Graham, even though he knew.”

The Doctor nods, face straining when the motion sets her arm ablaze again. “I can work with that.” She says. “I’ll have to work with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Asphyxiation.


	18. Asphyxiation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: starts writing it one way  
brain: actually how about this  
me: oh

“Get your hands off him,” Graham yells, wind whipping around him as he takes a step closer to them. “He hasn’t done anything to you.”

The man, Graham really can’t be bothered to remember his name right now, turns and looks to him. “Stay away-” He shouts back, feet pushing him further towards the edge. “-A sinner must be punished.”

“He hasn’t done anything!” Graham throws back again. “Just let him go-”

Footsteps are approaching him from behind, and Graham glances quickly, breathing out when he spots Yaz. “Where’s the Doc?”

“She’s coming-”

“Well she better get here,” Graham snaps, and he doesn’t mean to, but he’s scared, and this madman in front of him has Ryan held by a cliff, arm around his neck and body struggling in his hands. “Let him go-”

“He’s a sinner,” The man repeats, body turning towards the cliff precipice. “And sinners must be punished-”

They've had this roundabout conversation countless times. "Ryan, he couldn't hurt a fly, he hasn't done anything to you or your fucking village!" In the corner of his eye, he spots the flinch from Yaz, probably from the swearing and tone, he reckons, but he doesn't dwell on it as he steps ever closer. "Let him go!"

"Grandad-" Ryan says, hands trying to pull the man's arm off his neck.

"Shut up," The man yells, arm tightening around Ryan's neck. "And you get back!"

"Graham, step away-" Yaz says. "Look at me," She says, and Graham knows she isn't talking to him. "We can take him from here; you don't have to do this."

The man's eyes dart between Graham and Yaz. "No, he's a sinner-"

"And yet we can take him," Yaz repeats.

The man's brows crease together, and then he shakes his head. "No!" He shouts, turning and facing the precipice of the cliff. "He's a sinner and sinners must be _punished_-"

Graham’s heart is in his throat as the man steps even closer and pushes his grandson off the edge. He runs forward, knowing he won’t get there in time, as Ryan disappears over the edge. He skids to a stop, eyes looking over just as his body hits the freezing water, scream getting cut off in an instant.

His eyes scan the pitch-black water, looking for any signs at all and finding none. This is his worse nightmare come to pass. There are frantic voices behind him, Yaz and finally the Doctor, too little too late he thinks bitterly, but he pays them no mind. Eyes still locked on the water, hoping against hope that he'll see splashing, just anything-

“Doctor, what are you-”

Graham doesn’t turn when he hears Yaz’s voice, but he does see the second slash. A body, blinde hair, dark clothes, coat missing, flying past him and hitting the water.

“Foolish woman-” The man, village elder or something spits from behind him. “Sacrificing herself for a-”

He doesn’t get to finish as Graham turns and grabs ahold of him, his face inches from the hateful man's and eyes dangerous. Graham’s hand’s clench in the coarse fabric of his robe, eyes boring into the man’s soul.

Graham breathes hard, anger building as the lack of sound from the water below continues. The waves hit the rocks, and that’s it, no splashing, no nothing-

_No life_-

Graham, anger evident on his body, forces the man to the cliff edge. He'll throw him over, screw the Doctor and her rules. He'll kill him-

“Graham-” Yaz says, her feet hit the ground hard as she rushes forward. “Don’t-”

“Why not?” Graham spits, hands shaking as the man’s feet edge closer. “He threw Ryan off,” They move closer. “He killed-”

“You don’t know that,” Yaz says, voice trying to deescalate the situation. “The Doctor will get him back-”

“Like she got that woman back that got dunked?” Graham says, voice turning to worry. “I can’t lose him, Yaz, I made a promise to Grace-”

“And will throwing him off,” Yaz says, and her voice trembles. “Will doing what he did to Ryan did bring Ryan back if he’s-”

“I got him,” The Doctor screams from below the cliff, just as the sound of splashing breaks over the waves. "I got him!" She yells again.

“Let him go, Graham,” Yaz urges. “Please.” Her hand reaches out to Graham’s arm. “Your priority is Ryan now, go to him-”

Graham turns and faces her, and he nods, turning and throwing the man back against the hard ground. He faces the edge of the cliff again, eyes moving across it and locking onto a part that heads down towards the rocky beach. He runs, lungs burning from the cold air and feet hitting the stones. The Doctor has Ryan laid out across them, and she’s-

Oh, god, is his first thought. She’s doing mouth to mouth, his second thought is, he’s _dead_. He's actually _dead_.

Graham skids to a stop, knees smashing down against the stones. His hand reaches out to Ryan’s hand, and he’s cold, so cold-

“Is he-”

“No,” The Doctor says, fists pumping against his chest. She leans forward and repeats the process, her mouth blowing air into his. “Come on, Ryan, I need you to breathe-”

Graham watches and then his anger builds again. “Do the glowy thing!”

“I can’t,” The Doctor replies, not ceasing her lifesaving moments.

“Why can’t you bloody do it?” Graham yells. “Save him-”

“I am!”

“You did it for Yaz,” Graham spits out. “Do it for him.”

“I can’t, Graham,” The Doctor repeats. “It’s not something that I can just do-”

“For anybody?” Graham cuts her off. “Why is he any different to Yaz?”

The Doctor doesn’t look up; she focuses on Ryan instead. Graham goes to speak again, stopping when Ryan coughs, water coming up and out from his lungs. Graham pushes the Doctor out of the way, hands resting against Ryan’s freezing face. “Take it easy, mate.” He murmurs. "Take it easy."

“Graham-”

“Don’t-”

“No, you listen to me right now,” The Doctor snaps and he feels the anger lacing her words. “I can’t do it, I can’t just bring forth the regeneration energy-” She explains. “When I did it for Yaz I never expected that I would’ve needed it for Ryan.” Graham doesn’t turn to look at her. “So don’t you dare sit there and think for one second that I wouldn’t have used it for Ryan, or for you, even-”

Graham glares, gaze hard, but he knows he's being unfair to her. She got him out of the water; she brought him back, she saved him-

While he stood on a cliff overlooking it-  
And while he stood on a cliff threatening to throw someone off it-

Graham closes his eyes, and he feels shame for yelling at her, for even suggesting that she would pick one over the other. “I’m sorry.”

The Doctor sighs, and he feels her hand on his shoulder. “Apology accepted, Graham,” She says, and he can tell she’s breathless. She really did save him. “Now come on, we need to get Ryan back to the TARDIS and get some proper oxygen into him.”

“Why?” Graham asks, hands already slipping under his Grandson’s torso and lifting him upwards.

“Asphyxiation,” The Doctor says. “He was drowning, Graham.”

Graham nods, the word is rough on his mind, and he feels sick. It was close this time, if the Doctor wasn’t there, then- He doesn’t want to think about what didn’t happen. Ryan is alive, and he owes the Doctor big time for saving him.

Especially after insinuating that she wouldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Trembling.


	19. Trembling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soft
> 
> soooooffffffffttttttttttt

Yaz frowns. She’s been around the TARDIS, in and out of different rooms, she even opened the doors and then frowned when she realised that at some point during the night the Doctor landed the TARDIS in Graham’s back garden while they slept within her.

She’s also looked in all the usual spots that she would be in as well, but she hasn’t found the Doctor at all. Not after she mumbled goodnight to Graham and her all while they were in the Time Vortex, Ryan, she assumed she might've said goodnight to, but she's not sure. She did try looking for the medical bay, but it proved elusive. With her frown deepening, she loops around again, or she thinks she does, the TARDIS rooms change all the time, but she does pass the console room again on her way to the kitchen. That's something she has been able to find.

As she expected, Graham is still in it, nursing a brew, or perhaps it’s another one since the last time she’s been in here. The man can pack them away. She looks to see what he’s reading, something different from before and frowns again. If the Doctor were here, then she would be sure to take it from him, something about how he shouldn’t be reading sports columns from the future-

“Should you be reading that?”

Graham looks up at her, glasses perched on his nose and with a less than innocent expression face. “Probably not.” He replies, turning back to the paper again. “How mad do you think the Doc will be if I place a bet on a winning team? You know, Back to the Future style?”

“She’ll lecture you for a solid hour or two, maybe more,” Yaz answers. “You’re not seriously considering actually placing a bet are you?”

Graham glances up at her. “Nah,” He says. “Just having a mooch through it really, seeing how West Ham do in the future and all.” He reaches for his tea and takes a sip. “The Doc would have my head if I did place a bet though, so it’s better if I didn’t start prodding the hornet’s nest if I’m honest.”

“Speaking of the Doctor,” Yaz says, causing Graham to look up at her. “You haven’t seen her, have you? Or Ryan?”

Graham furrows his brows together and stares ahead. “No, not since last night and no, again,” He says with puzzlement. “Usually you hear something crashing, you know, just something to let you know that chaos still follows her even in her own ship.” He focuses back onto Yaz again. “Why?”

“I’m concerned about her is all,” Yaz reveals. “I’ve been looking throughout the ship, even in places that she usually goes and I’ve found nothing.” She explains. “She’s also landed the TARDIS in your back garden.”

Graham sighs. “If she’s ruined my plants, I swear-”

Yaz shakes her head. “From what I saw she’s landed on the patio.”

“Oh, at least that’s something then,” Graham mutters as he places the paper down next to him and gets up, tea still held in his hand. “She’s a bit like a cat.”

“What?”

“You know, a cat-”

“Graham, I know what a cat is,” Yaz retorts, snappish and she doesn’t mean it. “What I mean is why is she like a cat?”

Graham looks sheepish for a second, and she feels rough for snapping. “Of course, I know you know what a cat is,” He says. “And to answer why, it’s ‘cause the Doc, well, she’s always under your feet and all, like a cat, innit?” Yaz stares at him blankly. “If you owned a cat you’d know what I’m talking about.”

“Probably,” Yaz says. “Sorry for snapping then, by the way-”

Graham looks to her and waves her off. “It’s fine,” He smirks and makes his way over to the sink. “You’re worried ‘bout her, ain’t you?” Yaz doesn’t reply. “See, she is like a cat cause I used to go outside calling for mine all the damn time only to find him in my house in the last place I would look looking all smug and warm while I was-”

“Wait, go back, Graham.”

“To what?”

“You said the last place you’d look in your-”

“Yeah, and?”

Yaz’s eyes widen when it clicks into place. “I know where she is.” She says, turning and jogging from the room.

Graham stares after her, confused, and then he follows after her. “Where are you going?”

“She’s not in the TARDIS, Graham,” Yaz yells over her shoulder. “She’s in your house.”

Graham’s eyes turn as wide as saucers, and then he’s jogging after Yaz. “Oh, bleeding hell, lord knows what she’s been doing in there while we were sleeping in here.”

To Yaz’s surprise, the older man can move when he needs to, and she finds herself chasing after him for once. They exit out of the TARDIS, and she watches as Graham fumbles for his backdoor keys and then watches as the back door opens at his touch.

“She didn’t lock it,” Graham grumbles. “If she’s gonna come in here then she could at least-” He trails off and then Yaz has to slam on the breaks lest she collide into his back when he comes to a standstill in his living room. “Oh.”

“What?” Yaz asks, stepping around Graham and into his living room. Her eyes land on the Doctor’s body and at first she would assume she’s just sleeping, but she isn’t as Yaz’s eyes catch the trembling form of her. “She’s shivering.”

Graham and Yaz take a step forward. “Doc?”

There isn’t a reply and Yaz and Graham share a look. Yaz turns back to the Doctor again. “Doctor, are you alright?”

“Mhmm,” Comes a reply, mumbled and tired. “Cold and ill, hate being ill, boring and you can't do fun stuff.”

Yaz frowns in concern, and she reaches a hand out to the alien woman. “You feel really cold, Doctor.”

The Doctor mumbles something neither of them can pick up on.

“Is it a fever?” Graham wonders, coming over to Yaz and the Doctor and kneeling down. “I didn’t think aliens could get sick-” The Doctor opens her eyes and stares at Graham like he’s grown another head. “Okay, they get sick then.” The alien woman hums again. “Do you need an aspirin-”

“No aspirin.” The Doctor murmurs. “Unless you’re trying to kill me, Graham O’Brien,” Her eyes narrow at him. “You’re not trying to kill me, are you? I'll have to stop you if you are and I don't really feel like stopping you right now-”

“Some days I do Doc, some days I do-” Yaz hears Graham mutter under his breath, and she nudges him with her elbow. “No, Doc.” He says louder and after, a smile on his face.

It’s in that moment when they hear the front door go, feet shuffling around and bags being brought it. “Doctor, I got the stuff you-” Ryan says, walking into the living room looking puzzled to see his grandad and Yaz there. “I thought you two were still back on the TARDIS-”

“Isn’t it a bit early for you to be up, son?” Graham asks with mirth. “I thought you didn’t get up before noon-”

Ryan scowls at Graham, but it lacks any threat. “For a matter of fact, I’ve been looking after the Doctor.”

“What?” Yaz says, completely lost. “How did you know she was sick?”

“And another thing,” Graham says, now concerned that Ryan has been walking around. “I thought the Doc wanted you to stay in bed after the last trip?”

Ryan shrugs and steps into the living room, he places the bags down. “I felt fine, and I’ve been resting for a while, she-” He gestures with his hand. “-Came into the medical bay in a right mess, I asked her what was wrong, and she said she felt ill.”

“So you brought her into the house?”

“Yeah?” Ryan says, looking at Graham. “I didn’t know where her bedroom was, or if she even has a bedroom cause I don't see her sleep and-” He shrugs. “She asked if she could nap on the comfy sofa. I assumed she meant that one.”

The Doctor chooses that moment to lazily move her hand to the bags, searching for something. “Did you get them?”

“I did-”

“Get what?” Yaz questions, watching as Ryan’s bats the Doctor’s hands away and pulls out a multipack of biscuits. “She’s ill, Ryan, I’m not sure she should be eating them-”

Ryan ignores Yaz as he hands the prized goods over to the Doctor. “Biscuits makes me feel better when I’m ill; you never know it might make her feel better.”

Graham shrugs and gets up from his kneeled position. “Well, if we’ve got biscuits, anyone fancy a brew?”

“Milk, ten sugars, honey, and-”

“I know, Doc,” Graham cuts her off as his eyes flick between Ryan and Yaz. “You two?”

“Sure,” Ryan says, stepping around his grandad and claiming the older man's chair. Graham frowns at him.

“Yaz, love?”

Yaz watches the Doctor, who after a moment, moves into a sitting position, puppy-dog eyes almost asking Yaz to sit next to her. Yaz shakes her head and settles down. She looks over to Graham who’s still waiting for her answer with an impatient look on his face. “That’ll be nice, Graham, thanks.”

Graham nods and exits the room just as the Doctor snuggles against Yaz’s warmer body. “You’re warm.”

“And you’re cold,” Yaz replies. She sighs, body leaning back against Graham’s sofa. She looks ahead and finds Ryan grinning like a Cheshire cat at her. She throws a pillow. “Shut up, Ryan.”

“No,” He replies. “Never gonna shut up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Laced Drink.


	20. Laced Drink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops

“Are you sure, Yaz?”

Yaz looks up, eyes taking in the sight of the Doctor and heart skipping a beat. “You look-” Yaz says, her voice whispered and breathless. “_Stunning_.”

The Doctor flushes red and looks down at herself. “Well, I had to take in the size a few lengths-” Her hands pull at the jacket, repaired and refitted, and one Yaz recognises all too well. “Well, when I say me, I mean-” She reaches out and rests a hand against the side of the TARDIS with care. “-She did, took one of the spares I had around and fixed it up.” Her eyes dart up to Yaz. “You look stunning as well.”

Yaz turns red and smiles at her, as her hands play with the saree she's wearing. “Thank you, and you really do look amazing in it, Doctor,” She reaches out her hand to the Doctor. “Now that it fits you properly and all.”

The Doctor smiles back and then she’s pulling Yaz from the wardrobe and back to the console room like her life depended on it. “I hope the boys are ready.”

“I’m sure they are,” Yaz replies just as they enter. Sure enough, stood off to the side and in conversation with one another is Ryan and Graham. They’re dressed in equally nice threads, simple black tie, but nice in Yaz’s opinion. She catches Ryan’s eye and notices him fidgeting in it. She’ll tease him later about it.

“You two scrub up well,” The Doctor says, and Yaz shakes her head.

“Same to you,” Graham replies. “I see you fixed the suit up.”

“It’s not too much, is it?”

“Nah, you look great, Doc,” Graham says. "Proper fancy."

The Doctor nods at him, eyes flicking to Yaz as she leaves her side and heads towards the console. “Yaz, she said I looked _stunning_.”

“Did she now?” Ryan repeats, looking at Yaz, grin wide on his face. "Of course she-" Graham nudges him, and he shuts up.

Yaz turns red as Graham shoots a frown at the lad. The Doctor carries on making her way around the console, completely missing what her friends are doing. “The TARDIS fixed it, but the way.”

“What?” Ryan says.

“The TARDIS fixed the suit, told Yaz that.”

Ryan steps up, face turning confused. “How can your ship fix up a suit?”

“She can do a lot, Ryan.” The Doctor says, hands reaching across and hitting levers. “Oh, Yaz, you wouldn’t mind pulling- No, not that- Yes, that one-” She smiles at Yaz. “Thank you, Yaz, I'll give you a thumbs up, but my hands are full right now.”

Ryan glances at Yaz and smirks. ‘_Teacher’s pet_” He mouths at her, and she lightly hits his arm.

“So, Doc,” Graham says, saving Yaz from Ryan. “You said we’re going to a party, right?” The Doctor nods. “One that we had to dress up for?” She nods again. “Why?”

“Hmm?”

“I just wanna know why we’re going,” He looks down at himself and then up to Ryan, and then to Yaz. “We hardly dress to the nines normally, what is so great about this party?”

“How can you dress to the nines, Graham?” The Doctor asks, and the older man sighs.

“Figure of speech, Doc, bleeding hell," He mutters.

“Oh,” The Doctor says, sheepishly. “Anyway, the reason why we’re ‘_dressed to the nines_’ is because it’s strictly formal wear only.”

“So it’s where the posh people hang then?” Ryan wonders.

“Not exactly, Ryan,” The Doctor answers. “All sorts of people are going from around the galaxy. Humans, non-humans-” She explains. “-It’s a big charity gala, they hold them every year.”

“Last gala I went to was a bingo one,” Graham mutters.

Ryan turns and stares at Graham. “You honestly just went down in my books, Gramps.”

“Charming,” Graham replies.

The Doctor watches them, clearly puzzled before shaking her head and heading round to the last lever. “It’ll be fun.”

“When you say that it doesn’t tend to be fun.” Graham points out. "Things go wrong."

The Doctor ignores him as she pulls the lever. Yaz quickly grabs onto the console, and she’s glad she decided against the heels right now. Flats are a lot safer on the TARDIS she's come to realise.

“We’re nearly-” The TARDIS slams down while all occupants steady themselves with practised ease now. “There!” The Doctor beams at her Fam. “Now, why don’t we go and have some fun, right, Fam?”

Graham and Ryan share a nod while the Doctor turns to look at Yaz. “Fun sounds good right about now, Doctor.”

The Doctor smiles at her and reaches for her hand. “Let’s get a shift on then-”

* * *

A few hours and a dance or two later, the Doctor and Yaz are stood off to the side watching as Ryan and Graham make their way over, a glass of something in their hands. Yaz raises her eyebrow at them.

“Making up for something?”

Graham shakes his head. “Nah,” He says. “The waiters they were giving these out to the guests, said something about a toast.”

“Free drinks, innit?” Ryan adds on. “But they said these are to be drunk when instructed or something.”

The Doctor looks at the glasses, nose scrunching. “Why haven’t we been offered any?”

Ryan shrugs while Graham turns around. “They gave them out on that side first-” He gestured with his free hand. “-I’m sure they’ll be over here soon enough.”

“Yeah, look-” Ryan points out. “They’re making their way here now.”

Soon enough, two waiters, tray held in each hand filled with the same glasses approach them. “Customary drinks for the toast.”

The Doctor reaches forward and takes two off, eyes looking into them while the waiters head off to the next group. She frowns and holds one out to Yaz who looks into it with unease.

“Is it alcoholic?”

The Doctor eyes widen a fraction. “One second, I’ll check-” She hands the two glasses to Ryan and Graham and then does a quick pat-down, face scrunching again. She repeats the pat-down, this time more urgently. “Argh-”

“What?”

“Sonic,” The Doctor says. “Left it in my coat-” She looks to Yaz. “I could go back-”

Yaz shakes her head and smiles. “It’s okay, I won’t drink it when the time comes, but I’ll toast it, that’ll be okay, right?”

The Doctor nods as she accepts the two glasses back from Ryan and Graham, both of whom are watching the pair of them with knowing smirks.

Graham turns around again, watching the different species and people milling around together. “Hey, Doc-” He says, hand gesturing outwards. “Who’s that?”

The Doctor, Ryan, and Yaz follow his hand and look upon a well-dressed, dark-skinned man making his way up to a podium. “Ahnel Ezinsm,” She says. “Executive of the gala, decent enough people him and his husband-” She gestures to a blue-skinned man stood to the side of the podium. “Made strides in regards to you lot and your relations to neighbouring planets.”

They quickly quieten down when Ahnel makes his way to the stand, glass in his hand like everyone else in the gala. They listen in, information about the gala and upcoming events going ultimately over Yaz, Ryan, and Graham’s heads. The Doctor, on the other hand, smiles to herself. They watch and listen as Ahnel raises his glass to the crowd, voice carrying across them all as he wishes them a fantastic evening. His speech ends with a toast as Yaz watches everyone around her drink.

She considers briefly for a second to join them and then decides against it. She’ll just raise a glass in honour to them all. Her eyes catch Ryan and Graham finishing their drinks and the Doctor looking into hers with a puzzled expression.

“You okay, Doctor?”

The Doctor looks up and nods after a moment. “First time drinking alcohol this time around, not sure if I like it-” She slaps her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Something felt sour.”

Graham turns and looks at them. “I dunno,” He says. “Tasted alright, sorta like a Harvey Wallbanger to me-”

Yaz looks at Graham with surprise. “You know what a Harvey Wallbanger is?”

Graham smiles at her, slightly smug, slightly tipsy she thinks. “I’m a cocktail man, what can I say, I appreciate them, unlike-” He gestures at Ryan. “-my grandson who goes for the cheap stuff.”

“Yeah,” Ryan says, nudging Graham in a friendly manner. “While you spend all your money on one fancy drink, I can spend mine on many drinks.”

Yaz shakes her head and turns to face the Doctor again, who still looks puzzled but with a dash of concern now. “You sure you’re alright, Doctor?”

The Doctor looks up and blinks at Yaz. “Yeah,” She mumbles, eyes darting to Ryan and Graham. “I think we should go back to the TARDIS-”

“Why?” Ryan asks. “Hasn’t the party just started?”

The Doctor smiles at him, but in Yaz’s opinion, it looks forced, almost. “Come on boys, we’ve gatecrashed enough, got plenty more to show you.”

Graham glances to Ryan, eyes blinking and face frowning. “You know what son, the Doc’s right,” He says, voice slurring now as he drops the glass. “Maybe the party scene has passed me by, suddenly feel all-”

Yaz hand reaches out in an instant, latching around Graham’s suit jacket as he falls forward. “Doctor-” She says in a panicked manner. "What's wrong with him?" She asks, free hand coming up to his face and trying to wake him up. "Come on, Graham-"

“TARDIS, now-” The Doctor says, voice mixing together. “Ryan, how are you feeling?”

Ryan shakes his head and turns to the Doctor. “Fine, I-” His eyes close. “I-” And he opens them to look at his grandad. "Gramps-"

“Ryan,” The Doctor says, hand reaching out to his arm. “Get to the TARDIS, now, while you can because we can only take one of you-” Ryan stares at her, and then to Graham who Yaz is still supporting. “Ryan, go _now_.”

The younger man nods, feet tripping slightly as the Doctor loops her arm under Graham’s shoulder. Yaz follows her move, but her eyes catch the Doctor’s free arm looped around her stomach. “Doctor, what is going on?”

“No, time,” The Doctor says, face twisting in pain as she takes a step forward. “He’s heavier than expected-”

Yaz stares at the Doctor, then to Graham again and finally to the room. Her eyes widen when she spots people dropping. Each one human-looking, their partners, she thinks, all different species bending and trying to wake them up. She snaps her head back to the Doctor again. “What has happened?”

“Poisoned-” The Doctor spits through clenched teeth, while they both drag the unconscious Graham from the gala and back towards the TARDIS. It’s a clear path to the ship, the bonus to having people ignore it means the Doctor can land it where she pleases and just outside the venue seemed like a good plan in the long run.

“What about the other people?” Yaz says, eyes landing on different faces as they pass them.

“Got to get Ryan and Graham to the TARDIS-” The Doctor murmurs. “Deadly to humans, not to me-”

“Doctor,” Yaz says again. “Are they going to-”

“No, they won’t die-” The Doctor turns and faces Yaz, eyes downcast.

“_They won’t_-” Yaz repeats and then she fixates on the Doctor. “What do you mean?” They’re so close to the TARDIS now, the doors are opened, and she can see just inside. Ryan has made it, but he’s out cold like Graham. “Doctor-”

“I can’t, Yaz, I once told Graham that I would do the same for him and Ryan as I did you-” She spits out, voice coming hard to her. “-And I plan to-”

“You’re leaving the other people, oh my-” Yaz states, as her free hand pushes the doors open. Her shoulder aches from carrying the older man. “They’ll die out there-”

The Doctor lowers Graham to the floor, next to his grandson and they look peaceful, almost. “I know-”

“So help them!” She yells, hardly believing what she’s hearing. "You help people!"

The Doctor eyes snap up to Yaz. “I can’t, Yaz, I don’t even know-” She doubles over, a hand gripped around her waist. “I can only save them.” She grunts out. “Stupid, Doctor, should’ve checked the date-”

“What?”

“No time,” The Doctor murmurs, knees hitting the TARDIS grating. “I need you to go to the medical bay, get two syringes-” The Doctor rambles off, eyes looking up and into the TARDIS console. “Show Yaz what she needs to grab, old girl-” Her eyes flick back down to Yaz again. “Go quickly.”

Yaz nods, hating herself right now that they’re leaving god knows how many out there to succumb to whatever it is they’ve drunk. She reaches the medical bay, eyes moving across it and finding what it is she hopes she needs laying out for her. She collects it all up and rushes back, finding the Doctor on her side, hand reaching out Ryan and Graham. They’re pale and unmoving. Still-

_Dead_-

“I have everything, Doctor,” She says. “What do I need to do?”

The Doctor’s eyes flick up to her, and she pulls herself into a sitting position. Weak hands pulling off her jacket and rolling up the sleeve of her shirt. “See those-” Her voice is pained, but her head gestures to the two bottles of purple and green liquid. “My body is fighting the poison off-” She says. “But injecting pure Time-Lord blood into Ryan and Graham would kill them, what I need you to do-” She gestures for the syringes and Yaz hands them over. She watches as the Doctor jabs one into her arm, pulling out a reddish-golden liquid- “Yaz, get the bottles-”

“Okay,” She says and accepts the first syringe from the Doctor.

“Purple first and then green, let them mix,” The Doctor says as she’s filling the second. “Then jam it into Graham’s heart, hard as you can-”

“Doctor-” She says as she follows the instructions, unsure.

“You have to do it, Yaz.”

Yaz nods, and she moves his shirt over to the side and aims, what she hopes is the lifesaving liquid, above his heart, hand pushing it in and releasing the contents into his body. She repeats the same process for Ryan and then reaches out to their necks, breathing out when she finds pulses. She removes her hands and settles back on her heels, eyes wet with stress and anxiety and shame. They left everyone else out there to-

“Yaz,” The Doctor says, hand edging out to her. “I couldn’t save them.”

Yaz turns and faces the Doctor, distraught and angry. “We left them all out there to-”

“I should’ve checked the date-” The Doctor interjects, repeating what she said earlier. “If I checked the date then-”

“Doctor?”

The Doctor looks just as shamed as she feels. “They died,” The Doctor mumbles. “All of them.”

“What do you mean?”

The Doctor edges herself forward and towards Graham and Ryan. Her hands touch their faces like she’s making sure they’re alive. “It was planned, I remember now, but I thought I had-” Her head lowers. “I didn’t think; I got too caught up in showing you something that I never thought to check the date.” She murmurs. "And I got the wrong one, the last one ever-"

“You mean,” Yaz says. “That they were meant to die?”

“Fixed point,” The Doctor says. “I didn’t realise at first; the poison was only meant for humans.” She reveals. “I didn’t realise what it was until Graham passed out-” Her hand brushes his hair from his face. “And then it clicked when I rewound the conversation in my head.” She says. “He said it tasted like a Harvey Wallbanger.”

“And?”

The Doctor looks up at Yaz, and she looks lost and sad. “A friend, someone from long ago now said the same thing when I was poisoned.” She smiles, but there’s no warmth from it. “I figured if I saved them, then it wouldn’t interfere in the fixed point in time because we weren’t meant to be there, but everyone else-”

“They had to die.”

The Doctor nods. “I’m so very tired of death, Yaz,” She says, voice quiet. “So very tired.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Hallucination.


	21. Hallucination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blame tumblr

The Doctor’s eyes flutter open, head buzzing or burning, she doesn’t know. It hurts to see though, and it hurts to hear- She closes her eyes again and rests her head back against the solid ground or whatever it is she’s lying against. It's hard and uncomfortable.

It's mainly dark with the occasional light passing over her eyelids, but it's nice, and it's welcomed, and she just wishes she could mute her hearing as well. Anything to deafen the fuzzy sound, the ringing and, oh, she feels sick. Like too many custard creams on movie night with the Fam. She can picture it easily; Yaz telling her not to eat that many because she’ll be sick. Ryan handing them over and against Yaz's orders, while Graham politely ignores their shenanigans. She opens her eyes again, the right first and then the left and then blinking them around and finding the world spinning out from under her. She hits the floor hard. There's a crash of metal and things on the floor.

She’s woozy, why is she woozy? She struggles to her feet, hands slapping against a cold wall painted white. It’s bright, and she doesn’t look at it as her eyes remain locked against the muted floor. Tiles. Black and white, bleeding together and forming grey-

Something is wrong. Something is- The Doctor looks up again, expecting to see a corridor ahead and frowning when she doesn’t. It’s a room, dark and relieving to look within. A stark contrast to the- she looks around, finding that’s she’s not in a corridor, but a small room. Chair in the centre, straps and a small table, items that were clearly on it scattered across the floor without care.

She turns and heads over to them, shaking hand picking something up and frowning at it. It’s long and sharp and-

“Doctor, come on-” A voice says, and she turns around, hand dropping the syringe. “We need to go.”

“Yaz?”

Yaz walks in and nods, hand reaching out to her. “Yeah, we need to go-”

“Go where?”

“To the TARDIS,” Yaz says, hand gesturing in front of her. “Please, it's safe there.”

The Doctor brows knit together, something is wrong- Her head turns back to the syringes again-

“Doc,” Graham says this time, and she flinches as his hand touches her. “Yaz is right, come on,” He says, and then he’s pulling her up and off the floor and she scowls. “We gotta get outta here.”

“I can stand by myself, Graham,”

“Well, you weren’t doing it, were you-” The older man snaps and- and that’s not him, does he snap? When he's scared, yeah, but that's anger, why is he angry? “Now come on.”

The Doctor looks between Yaz and Graham. “Why?”

Graham stares at her, eyes flicking to Yaz now and then. “You speak to her.”

Yaz comes forward, hands reaching out to her face, but they feel wrong, somehow. Cold. “We have to go, Doctor,” She says, voice breaking. Maybe. “You know what they did to Ryan.” No, she definitely doesn’t know what they did to Ryan. “Come on, Doctor, you’re the only one who can fly the TARDIS.”

“What happened to Ryan?”

“They killed him,” Graham says, voice filled with anger and then he’s pulling her along and out of the bright room that stings her eyes and into the darkness. That would explain the anger-

She shakes her head. “No,” She would remember, wouldn’t she? “_No-_”

“I watched it-”

“No, he-” She doesn’t know. How can she not know? “He can’t be.”

“Well, he is.”

No, that, wait- If Graham watched it, then he wouldn’t be so... _placid_ about it, he'd be a lot more vocal, and there would be hate from him, and she would deserve- She looks up at him. “Where are you-” She grunts out, stopping when the older man hands tighten on her arm. “Graham, you’re-”

“TARDIS,” He snaps again. “We need you to fly it.”

The Doctor frowns again, feet dragging across the floor. “No,” She speaks. “Where is Ryan?”

This time Graham stops, his head turning to her with hate this time? She thinks, possibly. It’s different on his face. “You know damn well where he is. He’s dead-” The man, no- Graham, spits at her. He looks away and stares at Yaz who’s stood to her side. “Help me, dammit; she’s stronger than she looks.”

Yaz hands loop around her other arm, equally as strong as Graham’s grip. She shakes her head when they start to drag her again. They wouldn’t, they wouldn’t be this- this… callous and they’re hurting her arms. They're hurting _her_-

The Doctor begins to struggle against them, legs kicking out against the floor. “Stop-” She says, the dizziness from being dragged is making her feel sick. Something is wrong, this- Her eyes flick between Graham and Yaz’s faces. They look like them, but it’s all wrong, like- like it’s the first time they’re using expressions. Something they’re not used to. "You're not-"

Which means- Her eyes screw shut and she breathes slower, body and mind trying to work out why she feels hazy, like smog, thick and choking and- Her eyes open with a snap when the toxin running through her is realised. Drugged, that explains the room then and the chair.

And that means that the two people dragging her aren’t her family. A vision? A mirage made physical? Her hand’s clench and she struggles again. More forcibly, arms trying to rip themselves free, and if the people dragging her were human, they would’ve lost their grip on her by now.

And they haven’t which means-

“I give up,” The man she thought was Graham yells. His head snaps to the woman she thought was Yaz. “The drugs are wearing off, and we’re no way close to her ship!”

“We can inject her-”

“No,” The man wearing her friends face shouts. “This is a waste of time, we should’ve just took her ship and sold it, but you wanted to get her to move it, wanted her to fly and open it-” His hands let go of the Doctor, and he steps away. “This was your bright idea!”

The woman, so much like Yaz, but her face is morphing now. Eyes a bright orange against her dark skin, hair moving like it’s underwater. “You couldn’t play your role, right! The old man, you said it would be easy enough to play-”

“So it’s my fault?” The man yells, and she turns to look at Graham, now a mixture between human and not-human. Skin pale, too pale and his hands, clawed and-

“Oi,” Someone yells, and her hearts beat with hope- Maybe he isn’t dead. “Get away from my mate, you bastard.”

She turns, eyes searching for him and filling with relief when she spots him. “_Ryan_-”

“You again!” Graham, or not, yells. “I thought we dealt with him!”

“No, you thought you dealt with us!” Yaz says, but the real one, not the fading copy by her side. “We’re stronger than you think we are.”

The woman holding her throws her on the ground and steps with the man, both heading towards her two human friends and she wants to yell at them to run, to hide-

She scoots back, legs pulling out of the way of the vehicle suddenly entering her clearing vision. Eyes watching it as it smashes into the two people who she thought were her friends.

“Took you bloody long enough-” Ryan starts to say as a door slams shut.

“Alien cars are hard to hotwire by hand!” Graham bites back. “Oh, I hope the Doc ain’t gonna hate me for-”

“TARDIS,” Yaz yells. “TARDIS now, talk about this later cause we know that ain’t gonna keep them down for long.”

And then she’s scooped up, strong arms looped under her legs and arms. The Doctor looks up and sees Ryan, face focused, and eyes locked forward. “Ryan-”

“You alright, mate?”

“You’re you?”

Ryan glances down at her and his brows crease. “Who else would I be?”

“Dunno,” She mumbles, her head clearing but still feeling foggy. “Head space feels like soup.”

“Yeah, well,” Ryan says. “We’ll clear that up for you, maybe even get you some soup if you're good.”

The Doctor nods, eyes closing. She hears the sound of old wood, rusty hinges and then warmth. It fills her mind, comforts her and sings. Welcoming and encouraging her.

“Can you start her up, Yaz?” Graham’s voice asks.

“I think so,” Yaz replies. “Might need some help, dunno how she manages by herself-”

The Doctor frowns when their conversation drifts from her.

“Taking you to the medical bay so you can sleep whatever it is they’ve injected into you off, Doctor,” Ryan informs her. “Yaz and Gramps will have the TARDIS flying soon enough,” He says with a smile.

“Are they them?” She feels herself get placed onto something soft.

“What do you mean?”

The Doctor opens her eyes and looks to Ryan. “Are they them-” She says again. “I thought they were them before, but-”

“Yeah,” Ryan says, hand reaching out and taking hers. “Yeah, they’re them, the real ones.” He smiles, and it’s friendly and safe and so him. "Not a trick or anything."

“What happened?”

“It’s a long story, mate,” Ryan says, hand squeezing hers. He pauses, head looking away and towards the doors just as the ship rocks. “Told you they’d figure it out,” He looks back again. “Rest, sleep, or go into one of those coma thingys, you know like you did before.” He says. “And we’ll tell you after.”

She wants to argue, but her eyes are tired, and maybe napping does sound like a good idea. Her eyes close and she drifts, calmness and peaceful and safe.

“Sleep well, Doctor,” Ryan says, hand releasing hers. “Hope you don’t have a go at Gramps for running them over too much.”

In her half-conscious state, there’s a part of her that is telling her that that’s important and something she should bring up, but at this moment in time, it can wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Bleeding Out.


	22. Bleeding out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first for this one, it's not connected to any of the other stories in this series. You could say it's non-canonical I suppose, but it is the beginnings of a bigger fic that I'll (hopefully) find time to work on and post separately with this being chapter one.
> 
> So think of this as a little Halloween fic, something not as angsty, but *something*
> 
> There was a reason I went with this rather than 'Bleeding out' in the true sense of what that means and that's because I feel like I've done 'Bleeding out' before with the Doctor being stabbed, plus my idea for the next one crosses the same sort of bridge as this would've, so instead I went for a more literal 'Bleeding Out' and y'all said I would never kill the Fam (no one said that like at all) and the Doctor, and well I *didn't* but you know, you'll find out what I did :) NO MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS. I would tag that and warn you if I did that because I know people don't always like that.

“Doc,” Graham voice comes from her right, whispered and hushed in the small space that they're edging through. “What are-” There's a pause as his feet shuffle behind her. “-What are we doing exactly? You never said.”

The Doctor continues forward; hand pressed flat against the wall and one hand leading back to Graham. She’s got better eyesight, and he’s relying on her to see for the pair of them. “Getting them back.”

“I can see that, and that’s great, always good to look out for us and all, but why are we breaking into someone's house and for another point-” Graham says, and she reckons he’s rolling his eyes behind her. “-What are we getting them back from exactly? Like what’s the big deal here? They seemed fine in the town; you weren't worried.”

“I don’t know exactly what it is, but something is wrong with this town-”

“How can you-”

She leans back when her superior ears pick up voices, and she places her hand across the older man's mouth. “_Shh_.”

Graham stares at her but compiles, and she removes her hand, and he follows it as she points forward and beyond the small passageway that they’re currently hiding in. Two people walk past, dressed in, well, in both of their opinions armour that wouldn’t look out of place in a Dracula film.

Graham frowns at that as he turns to look at the Doctor. He waits until he’s sure they’re alone again. “Doc?” He starts, looking puzzled. "Not being funny or daft here but they looked straight outta that film that Ryan had us watch, what are they?"

“It’s impossible really, Graham.” She says. “And we’re not even on Earth right now, so it really doesn’t make sense.”

“What is?”

“What they are, it’s all myths and rumours, like the boogieman-” She frowns. “Well, not the Boogieman, knew him quite well, decent bloke-”

“Doc, you’re going on a tangent.”

“Right,” She says. “Sorry.”

Graham gestures with his hands, waving it away as he settles himself back against the rough wall hidden behind the brick leading to the house. There's low light coming in, not enough to really see but enough to make it seem like they aren't in complete darkness. “Where are we anyway?”

“Secret passage, I think.” The Doctor answers as her hands pull the sonic out. She clicks it a view times and brings it to her face, nose scrunching at the information. “It’s not much further, should lead out into a room of some kind.”

“Okay,” Graham says. “But you still haven’t said what or why we’re getting them back,” He reminds her. “I mean, you didn’t seem to be worried when we split up at first, you know, and now we’re breaking into this Lord’s house. I just wanna know why cause I don't wanna get arrested and all for doing this.”

“It’s what the innkeeper said to me,” The Doctor says, hand reaching back and retaking the older man's hand.

“Ain’t that all just scary stories told to tourists?” Graham suggests. "Every town has its stories and all."

“Not exactly and it was the bit about young people going missing-”

“And what has that got to do with Ryan and Yaz?” Graham asks. “They ain’t from here, and she said that it takes a while for someone to go missing. That's if they’re actually going missing in the first place-”

“That’s the thing, Graham,” The Doctor says, eyes squinting in the darkness of the passageway and nose wrinkling from the dust. “They aren’t from around here, and maybe I’m just being super cautious, and it’s nothing, maybe they’ve just been invited up here for tea and biscuits, but on the off chance that they haven’t, and this is something more than that I want to be sure-” She glances back. "It's safer for everyone."

“Doc,” Graham says, and his hand squeezes hers, showing her that he's taking her worry seriously now. “You think they’re in danger?”

“I hope I’m wrong for once.”

“So am I,” Graham confesses. “So,” He pauses again. “If they’re in danger, then what is it? The danger that is. You mentioned myths earlier, so what sort are we talking about? Aliens?”

“Impossible ones,” The Doctor says. “Impossible because they shouldn’t exist now, but it-”

“What are you saying, Doc?”

The Doctor glances back, eyes locking with Graham’s in the pale light. “Vampires-”

“Oh, come off it, Doc, what do-” He trails off, eyes narrowing when he spots the serious look on her face. “You’re not having a laugh are you, you're serious about this?”

“I hope I’m wrong-” The Doctor says, turning to head off again. “I met one in my fifth regeneration, nasty bunch,” She says. “Tried turning an entire football stadium into them.”

“Bleeding hell and excuse the pun, Doc.”

“I might still be wrong, Graham, it might be nothing,” The Doctor says. She frowns for a moment. “We’re close, just a little bit-”

The Doctor cuts herself off just as a cloud of smoke, thick and reddish appears in front of her. She glances behind her and sees the same on the other side of Graham; only his is morphing and changing, becoming stable and humanoid. She looks round to her's again, face pulling and turning into what Ryan calls her ‘_polite cat expression_’, whatever that means when she locks eyes with one of the guards from earlier. “Hi, lovely place you have here.”

“Knew we heard something moving through the walls,” Her’s says. “Ain’t that right, Tedric.”

Tedric snorts. “Daft mortals thinking we wouldn’t notice them, eh Karel,” Tedric says. “This one looks older than what we usually have, but it's the stuff on the inside that we want really.”

The Doctor watches as Karel studies her, head cocking to the side and eyes narrowing. “What are you?”

“What?” Tedric asks. “She’s human-”

“No,” Karel says, cutting his friend off. “Listen to her and the old man; there is a difference between them.”

Tedric watches the Doctor, and then his head snaps back to Karel again. “Two heartbeats?”

“Yeah,” Karel says, hand reaching out to the Doctor. “And to think we were just gonna have a meal-”

“Oh, you have got to be bloody kidding me,” Graham says, voice fretful as his back pushes into the Doctor's. “Actual vampires.” His head turns to face her. "They are them, aren't they?"

"I don't know," The Doctor replies. "Met a bunch that were fish before."

“They must be with the other two we picked up,” Karel says, ignoring their conversation. "They smell like it."

Graham focuses, well tries to, back onto the face of the vampire stood, he can’t believe he actually thinks that, in front of him. “Ryan and Yaz, what have you done with them?” He asks, fearful now. “If you’ve-”

“If we’ve what?” Tedric says, leaning into the older man and breathing in. “Drained them?”

“Leave him alone,” The Doctor says. “Let him go.”

Karel and Tedric share a look, red eyes locked against one another before they both shake their heads. “No.”

Hands are pressed around their arms and then a feeling neither one wants to feel ever again happens as they’re moved in much of the same manner, molecules being shifted and reshaped and then being deposited in the hallway. Graham closes his eyes, head and stomach spinning.

“You alright, Graham?” The Doctor asks, watching the older man with a sympathetic gaze. “It’s like a teleport, only a lot more abrupt.” She winces. “How do you do it?”

“It’s a gift,” Tedric says as he grabs ahold of Graham again. “Now come on, Lord Greywall would want to see you.”

The Doctor shares a glance with Graham, head nodding and telling him not to put up a fight, not that she thinks he really could anyway with how green he's looking.

And she is curious where they’re leading her. She frowns, curious and worried, but Ryan and Yaz, they’re smart and strong. They’ll be fine. She hopes, and that has to count for something, right? She focuses forward again, the corner of her eyes noticing that Graham keeps giving her a look every now.

“Where are you taking us?” The Doctor asks. “I don’t like surprises.”

Neither of their escorts responds, and her frown deepens. She looks upon the paintings dotting the walls and then to the sconces. It’s gothic and really does look like it would belong in a Dracula novel, but that’s ridiculous, it really is. Is it? She’s not sure as they’re lead towards a door, open and revealing a grand room. Tables pushed to the walls and a deep red carpet leading to a throne. There’s someone sat on it, but that’s not what draws their attention.

“Ryan,” The Doctor hears Graham say from the side her, eyes catching him struggling against Tedric. “What have you done to him?” He demands. "Mate, it's me, your grandad!"

“Bring them here,” The man from the throne says. He’s dressed in rich reds and delicate silk, face cut like diamonds. Pale and unmarked with eyes a dark red and voice like velvet on their ears. "I want to see them."

And to the both of them, he looks like one person from Earth’s bloody history, but it’s impossible. It’s all rumours; she was so sure. Myths passed from generation to generation, they can’t really be looking at the unliving master of undeath and blood himself, can they?

“Lord Greywall,” Tedric says, arms throwing Graham to the floor while an indifferent Ryan and Yaz watch on. “We heard them making their way through the secret passage.”

“Ryan, mate-” Graham says, hands reaching out to him and being pulled back.

Karel steps forward, head bowed. “The older one, he’s just human like the town, but she-” His eyes dart to the Doctor. “She’s not.”

The man, Lord Greywall or whatever in the Doctor’s opinion, she doesn’t have time for Lords and not ones who have clearly done something to her friends. She focuses on Ryan and Yaz, their skin lacking the warmth that it should have. Greyish and muted in colour, eyes dark as well. She pushes her mind forward, eager to see into theirs only to yank herself back when she finds pressure, something stronger than a mere human mind keeping them locked behind whatever wall that has been built.

Her attention gets brought to Lord Greywall again, throne creaking as he gets up and stares down at her and Graham. The gaze forces both of their captures to drop them and back off. “You’re not from the town,” He says, feet stepping down the steps. “That much I could smell and taste from your friends, oh the worlds and things they’ve seen, marked within their blood-” He rattles off. “You’re not from this world, are you?” He purrs, voice sending chills through the pair of them. “No, your world is bright and filled with life, oh, such life-” He says, leaning ever closer. “-you even smell better than the townsfolk.”

Graham tears his eyes away from Lord Greywall and forces them back onto Ryan. “Mate-” He goes to move forward again, this time being stopped by, oh she’s reluctant to actually call him ‘Dracula’, but it fits, she can’t deny that. “Graham, stop.”

“Doc, he’s done something to him though,” Graham says.

“Graham-”

Lord Greywall inclines his head to the side and makes a grab for the older man. The Doctor goes to move forward. “Don’t you-” She’s yanked back by the guards. “Graham.”

Lord Greywall easily lifts the older man without struggle, clearly showing whos the strongest out of them all here. “You’re old.”

“Leave him alone-” The Doctor says, body pulling against the hands held around her arms. Lord Greywall ignores her; eyes focused on Graham as his hand tightens around his neck. Her fears grows and blooms in her chest when the older man’s kicking start to cease. “You don’t have to kill him!” She yells, fighting against her captures. Eyes darting to the placid bodies of Ryan and Yaz, both merely watching this. “_Please_.”

Lord Greywall loosens his hold on Graham, eyes flicking to the Doctor. “He’s not like they are.” He says. “Youthful and pretty, he’s lined and old.”

“Let him go,” She says. “Let them all go; I don’t know what you’re planning or what it is that you want, but they’ve done nothing to you.”

“No, they haven’t,” Lord Greywall answers back, his eyes look at Graham again. “I’d normally just feast on someone like him,” He says, dropping Graham to the floor. The Doctor follows him, exhaling when the older man brings a hand to his throat. “But maybe-”

Lord Greywall glances behind him, eyes flicking between Ryan and Yaz. “Is he worth it?” He asks. “You both know him, tell me, is he worth it? Should he be given this gift as you two have been?”

The Doctor feels the panic rise, and she watches as Ryan and Yaz seem to both come out of their trance-like state and step forward, eyes locking onto Graham. “He’s seen what we’ve seen.” They say, together, voices so them but tinged with something different. “And maybe more, he’s older; we’re a Family along with the Doctor, all four of us are.”

Lord Greywall listens, head turning to Graham, pale hand pulling the older man back up again. “Perhaps-” He says, eyes flicking to the Doctor held within the guard's grip. “You can watch and when he joins us, so will you.”

The Doctor’s eyes widen, and she calls out uselessly, hands trying to rip themselves free when Lord Greywall pulls Graham's head to the side, mouth connecting to his throat and pulling away. His hands dropping Graham to the floor in a heap. Blood pouring out of the wound, limbs twitching and then ceasing. "He's seen what they've seen, the wonder of the universe and more-" Lord Greywall eyes turn back to the Doctor again. "And you've shown them that."

“Graham,” The Doctor says, eyes darting to Ryan and seeing nothing on his face, no emotion, just emptiness. “You’ve killed him.”

Lord Greywall turns and looks at her, hand wiping away his blood from his mouth with a cloth. “I’ve given him the gift of eternal life like I am about to give you.” He smiles and approaches her. Pale hand holding her chin and lifting her head up, body breaking her eye contact with the unmoving form of her friend.

And then her head is angled as well, pulled roughly to the side. “You know,” Lord Greywall purrs in her ear. “None of them have fed yet; perhaps once you’re mine like they are, like the old one will be given enough time, we’ll tear the town apart and then you can take us away from here,” He says. "In that ship that I saw in their minds."

The Doctor would stare back, but she can’t. She looks at Yaz’s face, the blankness and she wonders if that will be her soon enough, twisted and controlled, bent under the will of whatever this creature is. Her eyes close tightly when she feels a sharp pain in her throat, blood pouring away, and body feeling weak.

Lord Greywall steps back. “Such interesting blood,” He murmurs and the Doctor looks up, eyes blurring and fading, dying? She feels it, but it’s different, not a regeneration, something else- “The memories, planets, history-” He says, face turning into a grin. “Worlds filled with life ripe for the taking and with a ship big enough for all of us.”

His face is smug, and as she starts to slip her eyes briefly catching the moment, his eyes frown. Hand gripping against his head and pain, and then she feels nothing but inky blackness. Slipping and diving headfirst into it, eyes only catching another body dropping next to her, a cloud of something and then sweet nothing.

-

  
There are voices, two familiar ones above and around her, worried and urging. Hands gentle on her face, soft and cold. She shakes her head, the feel of it is wrong, and she’s sure she’s felt this before.

“Doctor,” A voice says, young and caring and-

“Yaz?”

“That’s me,” Yaz says, voice trying to be strong. “I hope.”

The Doctor’s eyes flicker open, there’s dust in the air, and it gets in her nose. Itchy and nasty to breathe in. “What happened?” She mumbles, body trying to sit up but stopping when the world spins out from her.

“It takes a moment,” Yaz says, and the Doctor watches as she glances over her shoulder. “How is he doing, Ryan?”

“Still out,” Ryan replies. “But not dead, just-” There’s an audible pause in the air. “Well, you know, maybe it takes longer for us. The Doctor isn't human.”

“Longer for what?” The Doctor asks, completely lost in the conversation now. She frowns and forces herself to sit despite the world tumbling in her field of view. What surrounds her are three distinct piles of ash, a throne and a room of red. She frowns, eyes catching Yaz and Ryan, then Graham, still crumpled on the floor, unmoving. It takes a moment, but it comes back in a flash, her head reaching for her neck as a stark realisation hits her squarely in the chest. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Ryan repeats. “I was expecting-” He shrugs, arms wide, skin that still looks unliving. “-something a bit more than '_oh_'.”

The Doctor stares at him and then to Yaz and finally to Graham. She struggles upwards; each movement sending flashes to her brain. Ears picking up sounds she knows they shouldn’t able to, eyes catching specs floating through the air, and the smell is something that makes her skin crawl. Metallic and weirdly something she's drawn to. She makes her way forward, on hands and knees to Graham. “Please,” She mutters under her breath as she turns him over. His face is pale; blood pooled under him. She glances back to where she was lying and finds it the same, darkened carpet. “Is he?”

Ryan watches her and then shakes his head. “I don’t remember much, but I do remember what roughly happened-” His face frowns, brows knitting together. “-We watched you two when you were brought in here, but we-” His eyes flick to Yaz when she comes near them. “-I don’t know.”

Yaz kneels. “We knew who you were and we knew who we were, what we all did together, but Lord Greywall-” She frowns. “-Greywall, he got in our heads, Doctor, we couldn’t stop it even if we tried.”

Ryan nods. “They caught us on the outskirts of the town,” He explains. “Brought us here and-” His eyes quickly dart away when Graham starts to move, fingers first and then his limbs. “-Take it easy, gramps, it’s a lot to take in at first.”

The Doctor silently agrees with that, head still throbbing from the sheer influx of new sensations.

“What happened?” Graham asks, eyes opening and his is the most significant change. The blue iris gone, turned dark like theirs. “Feels like I’ve been on a bender, my head is killing me.” He mumbles, hand coming up and resting against his eyes.

The Doctor glances between her friends and then back to Graham again. “Graham,” He looks at her, face frowning.

“Your eyes are different-” Graham points out as his gaze flicks to Ryan and Yaz as well. “You all look different.”

The Doctor smiles and reaches a hand out to his. She expected to feel warmth, humans always do feel hotter to her, but she doesn’t get that, she feels the same temperature from his hand as she does hers. “There’s no easy way to say this, Graham.” Graham flicks his eyes back to her again. Face turning confused. “We’re-” Oh, how do you tell someone that they're currently _dead_?

Ryan watches her for a second and then focuses back onto his Grandad. “Hey, remember when we were in Norway?” Graham nods, still looking perplexed. “And we weren’t in the mirror?”

“Yeah, but what has this got to do with why it feels like I have the hangover from hell?”

“Remember the question I asked? About whether we’d know if we were Vampires?” Graham nods again, this time looking like he might know where this is going as his hand raises to his neck. “Well, I think this might be the time that we’d know, gramps.”

Graham's hand touches his throat as his eyes turn away from theirs. “We’re-” He murmurs. He focuses back onto the Doctor again. “Tell me this is a dream or we were actually on a night out and I had too much to drink or- or you’re pulling my leg, playing a trick-”

“It’s not a dream, Graham,” Yaz says, her voice trembles slightly. “Trust us; we wouldn’t joke about this.”

Graham watches them all again, face turning from confusion to realisation. “When he bit me-” They nod, and he quietens for a moment, eyes looking away and back up again. “Can you fix it?” He asks, sitting up and wincing much in the same way the Doctor did.

The Doctor rocks back on her heels. Can she fix it? “Honestly?” She says, and they each turn to look at her, and it takes a moment not to flinch at how fast their heads moved to face her. “I don’t know-” She spots Ryan about to open his mouth. “-But I’ll do everything I can to find something, that I promise.”

They each nod and then they’re standing, Ryan holding Graham and Yaz holding the Doctor.

Graham flicks his eyes around the room again and then back to the Doctor. “In the meantime,” He says. “And not to sound alarmist here or morbid, but there is an elephant in the room that none of us are acknowledging right now.”

“What’s that, Graham?”

“What do-” He frowns, clearly stuck on the word. His eyes close, and he takes a breath, nose wrinkling as he looks back at her. “What do our _kind_-” He gestures between them. “-eat exactly?”

Ryan stares at his grandad. “Oh, trust you to think about your stomach first-”

“No, what I mean is-” Graham starts, looking pained for a second, like it's a struggle to breathe in the air. “I ain’t doing that.”

“What?”

“You know,” Graham says, looking uncomfortable. “People.” The moment he says the words each of their faces change, like they never thought about that. “Unless you two have-”

“No, god no,” Ryan says. “We never left this place.”

The Doctor, on the other hand, freezes. She never thought about it, but it goes with what that Lord Graywall said about them tearing the town apart, well, it really does make sense. Speaking of Lord Greywall- She frowns. “What happened after he bit me?” She asks Ryan and Yaz. “I watched him for a bit and then slipped away.”

Yaz blinks at her. “We’re not sure,” She says. “I mean we felt him die, that’s for certain, and then watched the others but-” She frowns as well now. “Why didn’t we?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he turned us, didn’t he? And then as soon as he had your blood, he died, taking everyone else with him, why?” She looks between them all. “What was so special about us three and you?”

The Doctor stares back, head still spinning, but for different reasons now. “I don’t know, Fam, but I promise you I’ll figure something out.” She stares at each of them. “And I will fix this, whatever it takes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Secret Injury.


	23. Secret Injury

“Move, Doc, come on,” Graham mutters under his breath, knees aching from the low position.

Yaz listens in to him, but her eyes remain locked onto the Doctor, mouth moving with silent prayers urging her along.

“She’s not gonna make it,” Ryan points out, hand gesturing to the solid beams of energy behind her and then towards the door closing. “She’s not- Yaz!” He shouts. "She told us to-"

Yaz ignores him, eyes focused on the Doctor and the blue beams chasing her. They’re safe, locked behind a wall of glass or something, but the Doctor isn’t, and she’s too far away from the door. Yaz sprints towards it, one goal in mind to wedge it open with something, it doesn't matter what, anything will do.

“Doctor!” Yaz yells as she runs. She works it out in her head, and she’s not going to make it, neither of them will. The door to safety will be closed and- she pushes herself forward, lungs burning and legs screaming, but she has to-

The door slams shut, alarm blaring just as the Doctor hits the glass, arms first. Yaz watches as she pulls out the sonic, eyes darting back to the blue beam moving ever closer, zoning in on her and purifying whatever is in its path.

Yaz feels tears beading at the edges of her eyes as her hands slam on the glass, there are footsteps behind her, two people breathing hard. “Doctor,” She says again ignoring them, her voice is quieter and pained. “Please-”

The Doctor stops, eyes locked on her sonic and then she looks at Yaz. “_I’m sorry._”

The blue beams are close now, and Yaz doesn’t take her eyes from the Doctor. She places her hands down on the glass palm first, a move the Doctor mirrors as her eyes dart to the boys behind her.

And then the Doctor falls against the glass, face twisting in pain when the light hits her in the chest and Yaz can only watch and feel useless. Her screams are muted behind the glass wall, but she can picture them. Loud and anguished. Her hands clench with the Doctor’s, eyes watching as the impossible woman falls to the ground gasping.

Yaz waits, the light flickers out, and all she can do is stare at the Doctor, unmoving. “Come on, Doctor, you can’t be-” The door swishes open, and she’s there, the boy's hands trying to hold her back but she shrugs them off. “Doctor, I’m here-” She whispers as she turns the woman she loves over. “_Please_-”

The Doctor’s eyes open slowly, and then they focus on Yaz. “That-” Her face creases. “Hurt, but I’m okay.” She grunts. "Truly okay."

“No offence, Doc,” Graham says, coming into the long room now, eyes lingering to the far side while Ryan stands in the doorway. “But you look kinda cooked.”

“Charming,” The Doctor replies, eyes darting around, hiding something in Yaz’s opinion. “Probably-” Her face winces. “-shouldn’t stay here might come back on."

Yaz nods and helps the Doctor up. She watches her closely, and she can spot the flashes of pain on her face. Hands held around her torso. “Are you sure you’re okay, Doctor?”

Graham comes round to their other side and places his left arm under the Doctor’s right, lifting her and supporting her weight while Yaz does the same for her left. “We’ll get you back to the TARDIS,” Graham says, taking a careful step with them. "Quick as we can."

“Mhmm, good, you’re learning, just need a nap-” The Doctor murmurs. “-And a gold star for Graham.”

“First time for everything, eh, Doc,” Graham replies.

“Do you need me to carry her?” Ryan asks.

The Doctor shakes her head. “Fine, can walk-”

“Are you sure?”

“Just-” Yaz catches her frown again. “No, fine, really fine.”

Yaz watches her closely as they walk each painstaking step, the sweat building on her forehead, the shake of her hand and the heat radiating off her. That’s not right, she’s colder, usually. “Doctor-”

“Mhmm,”

Yaz catches Graham glancing over and Ryan looking back. “You’re not alright, are you?”

“Fine-”

“No, don’t give me that, I can see it on you-” Yaz interjects. “You’re hotter than you should be.”

The Doctor stares ahead and then she looks down, and Yaz follows her gaze. “Graham, help me lower her to the ground,” She orders and the older man follows without complaint. “Is it your chest?” The Doctor nods and Yaz’s hands hesitate, Graham and Ryan are here, but she needs to see, and they’re friends, and it's important. She rolls the edges of the Doctor’s t-shirt up, not high but enough to check, and she feels sick at the sight of the burn. “How?”

“Organic matter,” The Doctor mumbles. “The light didn't like me, ignored my clothes went for my flesh.”

“She needs that stuff that she pumped into me,” Graham says, kneeling next to her. “Back when I was shot.” He informs them. “I think I remember what it is; I took it enough to learn at least.”

“Graham is right again,” The Doctor mutters. “I’ll run out of gold stars if he keeps being right.”

“Along with the thumbs up and points,” Graham retorts as he slips his hands under her legs and arms. “TARDIS.”

“Want me to carry her?” Ryan questions, looking concerned.

Graham shakes his head. “I got her this time, mate.”

The walk to the TARDIS is slow, each step threatening to jostle the Doctor, but get there they do. The ship makes a mournful noise, one that the three humans have all come to pick up on now. She doesn’t even need to show them to the medical bay; all practised in finding it. Graham places her down gently in one of the beds, always clean and prepared for them somehow. Too often, each of them think now.

“How are you feeling, Doc?”

“Warm.”

“I bet.”

Yaz smiles down at the Doctor, hope it’s reassuring while Graham turns with Ryan to go looking for whatever it is they need. “Why didn't you say anything?” The Doctor looks away for a second and mumbles something under her breath. “Doctor-”

“I didn’t want you to worry about me.” The Doctor reveals after a moment. “I would’ve been fine, truly, something a nap would’ve solved easily.”

Yaz frowns down at her, hand coming upwards and brushing loose hair from her face. “So you’re allowed to worry about us, but we’re- I’m not allowed to worry about you?” She asks. “Doctor, we love you, I love you-”

“I know,” The Doctor says, eyes turning away. “I know, Yaz.”

“So let us in,” Yaz says. “Else we’ll annoy you until we do.”

The Doctor considers her for a moment and then she nods, accepting the terms just as Graham and Ryan make their way back over. They're a Fam, and they always will be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt is...
> 
> Humiliation.
> 
> This is the last one before we actually hit a group I combined together so we can end the entire series with a bang. I will admit that after Laced Drink and Hallucination I sorta lost a little bit of steam, but what I have planned for the last ones? Oh, boy.
> 
> It has something to do with the last line of this one-shot.


	24. Humiliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light on the angst, mainly because I the next bloc really does hurt the Fam and the Doctor.
> 
> Plus special guest.

“So, another fancy do,” Ryan says, eyes darting about the place. “I’ll pass on the drinks this time though.”

"Good call, son," Graham nods, face grim as they make their way through the crowd. “Do you think the Doc and Yaz got whatever it is they were after?”

“Dunno,” Ryan replies. “What was it anyway?”

“Haven’t the foggiest, son, truly-” Graham says, edging around party goers. "She was yelling about someone or something; I sorta tuned her out after a while."

"You did?"

Graham glances back. "Yeah, well, I didn't know what she was talking about, and she took Yaz with her, so I assumed whatever it was wasn't really important for all of us."

"Fair enough," Ryan says as he follows after his grandad, happy to allow the older man to make a path through the crowd that he can walk through after. Busy places, posh frocks, and any number of items ready to fall off tables is really not his idea of fun- “Hey, watch it-” Ryan says, spotting the man to incensed in conversation to be paying attention to where he’s going. He carries on, colliding with Ryan who thankfully had nothing in his hands, unfortunately for the other guy, he was carrying a drink. A dark red liquid, now splashed across the white of his jacket.

“Oi,” The man yells, disregarding the fact that it was his fault. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re playing at?”

“You walked out in front of me-” Ryan answers truthfully, eyes looking over the irate man’s head and trying to find his grandad in the crowd. “-I was walking and you stepped in my path-”

“I don’t bloody care where or what you were doing-” The man snaps, cutting Ryan off. “-You know how much this jacket cost me?” He demands, never once giving a chance for Ryan to answer. “More than you’d make in an evening.”

“Look, I’m sorry-”

“Sorry?” The man spits. “What am I meant to do with sorry?” He asks, finger jabbing forward. “They hire you lot-” _Jab_. “-And you can’t even do your jobs-” _Jab_. “-correctly.”

“Hey, you can stop jabbing me for one thing, and I said I was sorry even though it wasn't my fault you can't look where you're going,” Ryan says as he steps back, eyes hard and now fully noticing a few staring over at them. “And I don’t work here-”

“I’ll have your job for this,” The man yells, fully dragging everyone’s attention to him. “You lot shouldn’t even be-”

“I don’t bloody work here,” Ryan snaps, trying to step around the man and growing frustrated and embarrassed that everyone is now staring at them. “Get outta my way-”

“You should listen to your-”

“Oi,” A voice Ryan is glad to hear cuts in. “Leave him alone; he did nothing to you,” Graham says, eyes flicking to Ryan. “You alright mate?”

“Bastard jabbed me in the chest,” Ryan replies, feeling better that he’s got some back-up now. “I said he should watch where he’s going after walking into me.”

The man turns, eyes locking against Graham. “Are you his manager?”

“No, I’m his grandad.”

“Grandad?” The man repeats, eyes flicking between his friends and then laughing. “Well you should teach him some bloody manners first of all, like watching where he's-” He doesn’t get to finish as Graham’s fist flies forward, connecting against the vile man’s face with an audible thud and then he’s falling to the floor, dazed and out of it while Graham flexes his hand.

“Should’ve done that before,” Graham grunts, right hand coming to his left and massaging the pain away. “Still got it in me, mind,” He says with a smirk as he flicks his eyes to Ryan. “I mean, Ryan, you shouldn't punch people-”

“Gramps-” Ryan says, eyes wide. “Didn’t know you could knock someone out with one punch.” He says. "That was smooth."

“Yeah, well-” Graham shrugs, looking put on the spot by the attention from the man's friends and everyone else stood near them. “Don’t tell the Doc, son; she’ll be-”

“She’ll be what, Graham?”

Both Ryan and Graham turn, eyes locking onto the Doctor, Yaz, and a woman neither of them knows dressed in, well not a dress, something comfortable. Trousers and a blazer and to Graham she does look familiar, like he's seen her on the TV before.

“_Livid_-” Graham finishes his sentence. “I can explain, Doc, truly-”

The Doctor's head turns to the man on the floor holding his nose, then to the reddening coat, mixed with blood and wine and then finally to Graham’s flexing hand. She looks back to Graham again. “Graham, what happened?”

Ryan steps forward. “It was my fault, Doctor; Gramps was just-”

“Bullshit-” Graham exclaims suddenly, shocking everyone around him. “-And I mean that actually cause, you know what, I ain’t gonna say sorry or explain, not for punching a bigoted little prat like that.” He says. “I should’ve done it to that bloke back in America as well, standing there thinking they can just spout their crap for a willing audience, well, not everyone wants to listen to that and Ryan shouldn't have to, not in this day and age.”

“I’ll have you for this-” The man on the floor groans as he sits up. “-You’ll be sorry.”

The woman stood with the Doctor, and Yaz looks down at the man on the floor. “Pick yourself up, Martin, please, you’re making a scene here.”

“Mam,” Martin says, hand wiping across his nose. “They attacked me; surely you’ll be on-”

“Your side?” The unknown woman says as Ryan and Graham share a glance between them. “I’ll have you know that I’ve heard some fascinating remarks about you,” She says, eyes looking around at the crowd gathering. “You’re a humiliation to everyone here.”

“He walked-”

“Go, Martin,” The woman cuts him off. “Before you put yourself on the spot any more than you have," She says. "Or until I hit you."

And then she waves him away and focuses on Ryan. “Are you okay?” She speaks, and Ryan shares a glance with Graham. “I do apologise for him.”

“I’m fine,” Ryan says. “Bit-” He shrugs, eyes darting around and catching people still watching them. "-everyone is staring, you know.”

The woman nods and faces the guests. “You’ve seen enough now move along please.” She orders and they watch as the guests follow her without a word. “Now come on,” She says. “You’re all welcome here regardless of what Martin thinks or says, and you're friends of the Doctor,” She smiles. “Been a friend to the Doctor for-” She turns and faces her. “How long is it?” The Doctor scrunches her face in thought.

“A few decades now, give or take a thousand or so years for me-” Ryan and Graham look puzzled. “Right, sorry,” She smiles, eyes glancing to the mysterious woman. “Ryan, Graham, this is Ace-”

“Nice to meet you,” Ace says, hand held out to Ryaan and then Graham. “You’ve got a nice swing on you, Graham, floored him in one hit.”

Graham looks sheepish. “Yeah, well, I don't usually make a habit of doing that, but he's my grandson-”

Ace smirks and winks at him. “Should do,” She says. “I once beat a Dalek up with a bat.”

"Shut up," Ryan says, impressed and forgetting where he is. "I mean-"

Ace laughs. "You've got some interesting friends this time around, Professor."

"Professor?"

The Doctor smiles at Yaz and then looks to Ryan and Graham. "It's a long story."


End file.
